HENRY  ASHTON 

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R  .     A  .     DAGUE 
AUTHOR 


HENRY  ASHTON 


A    thrilling    Story  and     How    the     Famous 

Co-operative  Commonwealth  was  established 

In  Zanland. 


R.  A,  DAGUB, 

EX'Senator  and  Attorney -at- Law. 


Author  of  the  "Dague  Tramp  Law;"  also  author  of  several 
pamphlets  on  the  Capital  and  Labor  problems;  how  to  prevent 
bank  panics;  why  the  Government  should  own  and  operate  the 
railroads  and  all  other  public  utilities,  etc.,  etc. 


ALAMEDA,  CALIFORNIA. 
PUBLISHED    BY    THE    AUTHOR. 

1903. 


Copyright,  1908, 
By  R.   A.  DAGUE. 


PREFACE 

The  author  has  endeavored  in  this  volume  to 
faithfully  report  the  wrecking  of  the  steamer  Os- 
ceola off  the  coast  of  California,  and  the  thrilling 
experiences  of  several  of  the  rescued  passengers 
and  the  loss  of  others.  Among  the  passengers 
were  Col.  James  Higsbee,  a  capitalist,  of  Mel- 
bourne, Australia,  his  wife  and  daughter.  Four 
small  boats  filled  with  passengers  shoved  off  from 
the  sinking  ship,  and  Col.  Higsbee  was  separated 
from  his  loved  ones.  He  never  saw  them  again. 
Henry  Ashton,  engineer,  proved  to  be  a  hero. 
George  Batty,  lawyer,  and  Thomas  Lawson,  ad- 
venturer, play  an  important  part.  Miss  Higsbee 
passes  through  a  series  of  intensely  interesting 
experiences.  Years  later,  the  fortune  of  Col. 
Higsbee  was  made  use  of  in  establishing  the  fa- 
mous co-operative  commonwealth  on  the  island  of 
Zanland.  The  author  and  the  Rev.  B.  M.  Fay,  of 
the  United  States,  visited  the  island  recently  and 
were  astounded  and  gratified  at  finding  in  success- 
ful operation  a  Socialistic  government  in  a  fertile 
and  beautiful  island  inhabited  by  more  than  one 
million  of  highly  intelligent  people.  In  chapter 
twenty   we  have   described   what   we  saw  and 


4  HENRY    ASHTON 

heard,  confidently  believing  that  many  readers 
will  be  interested  in  a  description  of  their  institu- 
tions and  their  methods  of  solving  the  problems 
growing  out  of  the  relations  of  capital  and  labor. 

No  claim  is  made  by  the  author  that  the  book 
possesses  any  literary  merit.  The  story  is  told 
in  simple,  plain  language,  without  any  attempt  at 
embellishments,  and  it  is  hoped  will  both  interest 

and  benefit  the  reader. 

R.  A.  DAGUE. 
Alameda,  California. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


Chapter.  Page. 

I.    Shipwreck  of  the  Steamer  Oscola  7 

II.    Reader  Introduced  to  Henry  Ashton,  the  Hero.      9 

III.  Thrilling    Experience    of    Castaways    in    Small 

Boats 23 

IV.  Rescue  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Higsbee  37 

V.    Rescue  of  Mr.  Ashton  and  His  Heroic  Act 43 

VI.    Last  Will  and  Testament  of  Col.  Higsbee 50 

VII.    Spirited    Debate    Between   Lawyer   Batty,    Infi- 
del, and  Henry  Ashton,  Christian  Socialist...     56 
VIII.    Ashton   Confesses  His  Love  for  Lilly  Higsbee, 

but  Does  Not  Know  if  She  Were  Rescued. ...     69 
IX.    Miss   Higsbee's  Experience   with    Thomas   Law- 
son,  Who  Proposes  Marriage  70 

X.    Mrs.   Higsbee  Urges  Lilly  to  Become  the  Wife 

of  Lawson  80 

XI.    Lawson  is  Given  Legal  Authority  to  Settle  Col. 

Higsbee's  Business  Affairs  S7 

XII.    Lawson  Loses,  at  Omaha,  a  Large  Sum  of  Money 

—Victimized  by  Gamblers 95 

XIII.    A    Forged    Instrument    Purporting    to    be    Col. 

Higsbee's  Last  Will   105 

XIV.    Henry  Ashton's  Long  Search  for  Miss  Higsbee.  113 
XV.    Political  Debate  Between  Lawyer  Batty,  Repub- 
lican, and  Henry  Ashton,  Socialist  116 

XVI.    Lawson   Urges   Speedy  Marriage  to   Miss  Higs- 
bee;   She    Consents,    Supposing   Ashton    Was 

Drowned 130 

XVII.  Ashton  and  Batty  Arrive  at  Los  Angeles  from 
China.  They  Continue  Their  Search  for  Miss 
Eigs'iee,  and  Meet  Don  Castano,  of  South 
America,  Who  Renders  Them  Valuable  Assist- 
ance   140 

XVIII.  Castano  Interrupts  the  Marriage  Ceremony. 
Shock  to  Mrs.  Higsbee  from  Which  She  Does 
Not  Recover 156 


i  HENRY    ASHTON 

XIX.    Ashton  Again  Meets  Miss  Hlgsbee  162 

XX.  How  the  Great  Wealth  of  the  Higsbee  Estate 
was  Made  to  Contribute  to  the  Inauguration 
of  the  Famous  Co-operative  Commonwealth 
in  the  Island  of  Zanland,  and  the  Capital- 
Labor  Problem  Solved— American  Visitors  De- 
lighted Over  What  They  Saw  in  That  Pros- 
perous Island 180 


HENRY  ASHTON 


CHAPTER  I. 

SHIPWRECK  OF  THE  STEAMER  OSCEOLA. 

Many  of  our  readers  will  remember  the  wreck- 
ing of  the  Steamer  "Osceola"  on  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  March  28,  1895,  about  one  hundred  miles 
southwesterly  from  San  Francisco.  The  vessel 
had  sailed  from  Australia  with  twenty-four  pas- 
sengers and  a  valuable  cargo  consigned  to  mer- 
chants in  San  Francisco  and  some  of  the  eastern 
cities.  She  encountered  a  furious  storm,  and  the 
strain  was  so  great  that  some  part  of  the  machin- 
ery failed  and  the  steamer  became  unmanageable. 
For  several  hours  she  was  buffeted  by  the  moun- 
tainous waves  and  tossed  to  and  fro  like  a  cork. 
Nearly  all  the  passengers  were  thrown  into  a 
panic,  and  the  crew,  although  experienced  seamen, 
gave  evidence  that  they  were  greatly  alarmed, 
while  the  stern,  strong  face  of  Captain  John- 
son wore  a  deeply  troubled  expression.  About 
the  tenth  hour  after  the  accident  the  wind  began 
to  subside,  but  the  sea  manifested  no  perceptible 
abatement  of  its  fury.  After  the  wind  slackened 
the  hope  of  the  captain  revived,  and  this  had  a  re- 
assuring effect  upon  the  crew  and  passengers, 
who  had  seen  him  as  he  darted  about  on  deck, 
above,  below,  everywhere.  But  how  utterly  help- 
less are  even  the  bravest  and  most  experienced 


8  HENRY    ASHTON 

seamen,  although  in  the  staunchest  ships,  on  the 
bosom  of  a  mighty  ocean  when  lashed  to  mad- 
ness by  the  all-powerful  and  all-pervading  greater 
ocean  of  air  in  rapid  motion !  The  Osceola  was 
doomed.  Amid  the  deafening  roar  of  wind  and 
waves  and  the  creaking  and  grinding  of  the  ves- 
sel's timbers  there  came,  like  an  electric  shock, 
the  cry :  "The  ship  has  sprung  a  leak  and  is  sink- 
ing !"  Captain  Johnson's  face  became  ashen ;  he 
knew  the  portentous  meaning  of  those  words.  He 
knew  his  ship  would  soon  find  a  resting  place  at 
the  bottom  of  the  sea.  There  was  but  one  thing 
to  do.  Not  a  moment  did  he  hesitate.  His  orders 
instantly  rang  out  through  his  trumpet :  "Lower 
the  boats  and  all  prepare  to  leave  the  ship !"  The 
order  was  obeyed  by  the  loyal  crew  with  all  the 
celerity  of  which  they  were  capable.  To  bring  the 
small  boats  alongside  the  steamer  and  to  transfer 
the  passengers  into  them  was  a  most  difficult  and 
hazardous  feat.  Many  of  the  passengers  were 
panic-stricken  and  so  unnerved  from  the  hours  of 
anxiety  and  the  fierceness  of  the  storm,  and  the 
fear  of  a  watery  grave,  that  they  had  sunk  down 
in  their  staterooms  exhausted,  or  were  running 
to  and  fro  on  deck  in  such  an  excited  mental  con- 
dition that  they  had  to  be  carried  bodily  by  the 
crew,  assisted  by  the  less  agitated  passengers, 
to  the  edge  of  the  ship  and  let  down  by  ropes 
about  their  waists  into  the  rocking,  plunging 
boats.  But  the  last  man  and  woman  had  at  last 
quit  the  steamer's  decks  and  were  sitting  or  lying 
in  the  four  small  craft.  Captain  Johnson  was  the 
last  to  leave  the  ill-fated  ship.  Within  thirty  min- 
utes after  the  captain  had  quit  the  Osceola,  and 
while  the  unfortunate  passengers  and  crew  were 


HENRY   ASHTON  9 

within  a  hundred  yards  of  the  deserted  steamer, 
she  plunged  beneath  the  surging  billows  and  was 
seen  no  more. 


CHAPTER  II. 

READER  INTRODUCED  TO  HENRY  ASHTON,  THE  HERO. 

Let  us  now  turn  our  attention  from  the  passen- 
gers in  the  boats,  and,  going  back  to  the  time  of 
the  sailing  of  the  Osceola  from  Melbourne,  Aus- 
tralia, introduce  our  readers  to  three  persons  who 
are  to  act  an  important  part  in  this  story. 

George  Batty,  a  young  lawyer  of  twenty-two. 
had  left  his  home  in  Iowa  three  years  before  the 
occurrence  of  the  events  recorded  in  the  preceding 
chapter.  He  had  graduated  with  honor  in  one  of 
the  leading  universities  of  America,  and  having 
nearly  exhausted  his  capital  in  acquiring  an  edu- 
cation, conceived  the  idea  of  taking  a  trip  to  Aus- 
tralia in  quest  of  business  and  a  fortune.  Arriv- 
ing in  Melbourne  and  satisfying  himself  that  there 
was  room  for  another  lawyer  in  that  city,  he 
opened  an  office,  selected  a  modest  boarding  place 
and  awaited  the  call  of  clients.  These  came  in  due 
time,  and  within  two  years  Mr.  Batty  was  enjoy- 
ing a  good  practice  and  had  the  high  esteem  of 
his  associates  at  the  bar  and  of  the  public  gen- 
erally. One  of  his  first  acquaintances  after  arriv- 
ing in  Melbourne  was  Henry  Ashton,  a  gentleman 
about  his  own  age,  a  native  of  Ohio,  who  had  pre- 
ceded him  to  Australia  about  two  years. 

Young  Ashton  came  from  poor  parentage, 


10  HENRY    ASHTON 

who  had  been  unable  to  give  their  son  a  liberal  ed- 
ucation, but  they  had  endowed  him  with  a  sound 
physical  constitution,  a  clear  brain  and  good  prin- 
ciples. At  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  had  entered 
a  machine  shop  as  a  laborer;  he  was  intelligent 
and  faithful,  and  promotion  followed  in  due  time 
till  he  became  a  skillful  engineer.  Though  not 
receiving  large  wages,  yet  by  his  frugality  and  pa- 
tient industry  he  was  able  to  lay  by  some  money 
and  contribute  not  a  little  toward  the  support  of 
his  parents.  Both  of  these  dying  when  he  was 
eighteen  or  nineteen,  he  determined  to  go  to  Aus- 
tralia. Here  he  was  soon  employed  as  an  engi- 
neer on  one  of  the  railroads  terminating  at  Mel- 
bourne. As  Lawyer  Batty  and  Engineer  Ashton 
were  patrons  of  the  same  boarding  house,  they 
were  frequently  thrown  together,  and  these  meet- 
ings led  to  the  formation  of  a  warm  friendship 
between  them.  They  spent  many  evenings  to- 
gether. As  neither  of  them  had  become  addicted 
to  any  of  the  vices  which  are  too  prevalent  among 
young  men,  they  had  much  time  for  reading  and 
for  the  exchange  of  ideas.  There  were  but  few 
evenings  for  a  year  or  more  that  Engineer  Ash- 
ton, after  the  arrival  of  his  train  and  his  evening 
meal  had  been  partaken  of,  did  not  walk  across 
the  street  and  enter  the  office  of  Mr.  Batty.  Many 
were  the  spirited  but  friendly  discussions  between 
them  on  economics,  politics,  religion,  marriage 
and  other  current  topics.  Batty  was  an  infidel 
or  agnostic.  Ashton  was  a  Christian,  though 
claiming  to  be  a  liberal  one.  Batty  was  a  Repub- 
lican, while  Ashton  was  a  Socialist.  Batty  said 
marriage  is  a  failure  and  that  he  was  a  confirmed 
old  bachelor ;  Ashton  said  he  believed  in  love,  and 


HENRY   ASHTON  11 

marriage,  and  a  happy  home,  and  held  good  wom- 
en in  the  highest  esteem,  and  hoped  some  time  to 
marry  a  true  woman.  Though  differing  on  many 
important  subjects,  there  existed  between  the  two 
men  a  very  warm  friendly  attachment. 

One  evening  when  Ashton  had  finished  reading 
in  the  newspapers  about  the  suppression  of  a  la- 
bor strike  by  the  police,  who  had  killed  two  strik- 
ers and  wounded  five  or  six  others,  he  flung  down 
the  paper  and  exclaimed  : 

"These  labor  disturbances  will  increase  in  fre- 
quency and  violence  until  the  people  adopt  So- 
cialism. That  is  the  only  solution  of  the  Capital- 
Labor  problem." 

"Now,  Ashtpn,"  replied  Batty,  "I  have  to  again 
express  my  surprise  that  so  level-headed  a  man  as 
you  are  on  most  subjects  should  be  so  badly  off 
on  the  economic  question,  and  that  you  can  look 
with  favor  on  a  theory  so  manifestly  unreasonable 
and  impracticable  as  Socialism  presents.  My  dear 
Ashton,  why  should  I,  or  you,  or  any  other  man 
who  has  a  little  property  that  he  has  honestly 
earned,  divide  it  up  evenly  with  the  improvident 
and  lazy  ?  Now,  I  say,  let  every  fellow  get  what 
he  can — honestly,  of  course — and  let  him  enjoy 
his  own,  and  let  the  other  fellow  look  out  for  him- 
self. I  believe  that  the  way  to  acquire  property 
is  to  rustle  for  it.  That  is  the  way  you  and  I 
have  to  do.  Why,  Socialism  would  reduce  every- 
body to  the  same  dead  level  and  destroy  the  in- 
centive in  man  to  do  something.  No,  no.  It  will 
not  do !  Competition  is  the  life  of  trade.  I  know 
you  talk  about  brotherhood  and  the  Golden 
Rule,  but  you  know,  and  I  know,  and  every- 
body knows,   that  none    of    our    great    states- 


12  HENRY    ASHTON 

men  or  financiers,  or  even  clergymen  in  these 
latter  days,  seriously  contend  that  those  ideas 
can  be  put  into  practice  to  any  extent.  I  ad- 
mit that  Christ  was  a  communist  and  urged  the 
Universal  Brotherhood  idea,  and  said :  'Do  unto 
others  as  ye  would  that  others  should  do  unto  you.' 
I  admit  that  this  is  a  pretty  theory  and  may  have 
been  quite  proper  at  the  beginning  of  the  Chris- 
tian dispensation,  but  it  is  not  at  all  practicable 
now.  The  modern  and  more  scientific  doctrine 
of  the  'survival  of  the  fittest'  has  taken  the  place 
of  ancient  and  impracticable  Socialist  teachings. 
I  am  not  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  your  ministers 
hold  up  the  Golden  Rule  as  the  rule  that  should 
govern  us  in  all  our  dealings  with  our  fellow  men, 
but  they  know  that  no  member  of  their  church 
obeys  that  rule,  and  they  do  not  expect  the  peo- 
ple to  observe  it,  for  they  do  not  themselves.  I 
am  not  saying  they  should  be  censured  for  this, 
for  these  equality-socialistic  teachings  of  the 
church  are  idealistic  and  impracticable.  In  the 
animal  realm  we  see  the  strong  beasts  of  the  for- 
est devouring  the  weaker  ones.  We  see  the  big 
fish  swallowing  the  little  ones ;  we  see  the  hawks 
feasting  on  the  birds  and  weaker  fowls ;  we  see 
these  same  feathered  tribes  eating  the  insects.  All 
along  the  line,  from  the  protoplasm  to  man,  we 
behold  evidence  of  the  strong  overpowering  the 
weak.  It  is  always  the  fittest  that  survive.  It  is 
according  to -a  law  of  nature.  Man  observes  the 
same  law.  Have  not  strong  nations  subjugated 
weak  ones  in  all  the  past  ?  Have  not  Christian  as 
well  as  Pagan  nations  followed  the  rule  that 
'might  makes  right  ?'  Did  not  Christian  England 
quite  recently  despoil  and  kill  Christian  Boer?    Is 


HENRY    ASHTON  13 

not  Christian  America  now  subjugating  Catholic 
Christians,  the  Filipinos  ?  You  know,  Friend 
Ashton,  that  these  questions  must  be  answered  in 
the  affirmatn'e.  Christ's  teachings  touching  man's 
dealings  with  his  fellow  man  are  ignored  not  only 
by  individuals  in  ordinary  business  matters,  but 
by  nations,  by  congresses,  by  Presidents  and  all 
other  rulers.  Ah,  I  admit  that  ministers  and  states- 
men, and  Presidents,  and  Kings,  talk  quite  elo- 
quently, even  piously,  of  the  necessity  of  the 
masses  to  follow  Jesus,  but  it  is  wise  statesman- 
ship and  sound  ministerial  diplomacy  to  thus 
preach  and  teach  the  masses,  but  they  see  to  it 
that  the  injunctions  of  Jesus,  of  love  to  God  and 
love  to  man,  forgiveness  of  your  enemies,  the 
Golden  Rule  and  other  idealistic  theories  are  not 
put  into  practice,  for  if  they  were,  young  men 
would  not  enlist  in  the  army  and  go  to  foreign 
lands  and  there  shoot  to  death  their  fellow  men, 
whom  they  had  never  seen  and  who  had  done 
them  no  harm.  I  tell  you,  Friend  Ashton,  you  are 
wrong  in  standing  for  those  old,  exploded  theories 
taught  two  thousand  years  ago ;  they  are  wholly 
impracticable  in  this  age.  We  must  have  classes ; 
we  must  have  police  and  armies  and  warships, 
and  the  ignorant  masses  must  be  controlled  and 
governed  by  the  intelligent  few.  Brains  will  rule. 
I  belong  to  the  grand  old  Republican  party.  It 
has  the  brains  and  the  money,  for  the  two  are 
always  found  together.  It  regulates  industry  by 
wise  trust  management,  with  men  of  great  ability 
at  the  head ;  it  builds  up  great  navies  that  awe  the 
other  nations ;  it  supports  armies  that  carry  our 
glorious  flag  around  the  world ;  it  stands  for  ex- 
pansion, for  imperialism,  for  progress.     Let  me 


14  HENRY    ASHTON 

entreat  you,  Friend  Ashton,  to  join  us.  You  have 
ability ;  you  might  acquire  fame  and  fortune  if 
you  would  abandon  those  sentimental,  visionary 
theories  of  equality  and  brotherhood,  and  of  try- 
ing to  elevate  the  ignorant  working  people,  who 
do  not  appreciate  the  efforts  you  put  forth  in  their 
behalf." 

At  the  close  of  this  spirited  speech  of  the  law- 
yer the  engineer  was  about  to  reply,  but  before  he 
had  time  to  utter  a  sentence  there  was  a  rap  at 
the  door. 

"Come  in,"  shouted  Batty.  The  door  swung 
open,  and  in  walked  a  young  man  who  appeared 
to  be  28  or  30  years  old.  He  was  stoutly  built, 
had  black  eyes  and  hair,  and  was  attired  in  clothes 
of  the  latest  fashion. 

"Hello,  Tom,  is  that  you?"  exclaimed  Batty. 
"Allow  me  to  introduce  my  friend  Ashton.  Mr. 
Ashton,  this  is  my  friend,  Thomas  Lawson."  The 
two  men  shook  hands  and  exchanged  greetings, 
and  the  newcomer  accepted  an  invitation  to  be 
seated.  Although  Ashton  had  never  before  met 
the  stranger  and  knew  nothing  about  him,  he  was 
not  favorably  impressed  by  him.  Lawson's  hand 
was  cold ;  the  expression  of  his  eyes  betrayed  a 
cunning  or  a  something  that  did  not  please  the 
engineer.  Ashton  was  mediumistic,  or  the  pos- 
sessor of  some  occult  or  psychic  power,  and  he 
had,  from  many  experiences  in  the  past,  learned 
that  his  impressions  or  intuitions  touching  the  true 
character  of  men  were  often  more  reliable  than 
his  reason,  but  he  was  too  gentlemanly  and  pos- 
sessed a  too  keen  sense  of  fairness,  as  well  as  too 
diplomatic,  to  exhibit  any  outward  sign  of  his  im- 
pression.    Later,  however,  when  he  learned  that 


HENRY   ASHTON  IS 

Lawson  was  something  of  a  sporting  man  and  an 
adventurer  whose  antecedents  were  unknown  to 
Mr.  Batty,  his  aversion  to  the  man  was  strength- 
ened. 

"Well,  what's  the  news,  Tom?"  said  Batty. 

"Oh,  nothing  worth  relating,"  replied  the  per- 
son addressed,  "except  that  the  steamer  Osceola 
leaves  for  San  Francisco  a  week  hence,  and  I  have 
decided  to  take  passage  on  her  for  the  United 
States,  and  may  be  absent  six  months  or  longer." 

"Good !"  exclaimed  the  lawyer.  "We  will  have 
a  jolly  time.  Both  my  friend  Ashton  and  I  have 
engaged  passage  to  America  on  the  same  boat. 
Mr.  Ashton,  I  believe,  goes  on  business  and  to 
visit  a  relative,  while  I  am  going  on  legal  busi- 
ness. It  is  hardly  professional  for  an  attorney 
to  talk  about  his  cases,  but  I  don't  mind  telling 
you  and  Ashton,  both  of  whom  are  personal 
friends,  that  I  am  retained  as  counsel  in  an  im- 
portant matter  involving  $50,000.  The  case  is 
now  pending  in  the  courts  of  Omaha  and  cannot 
be  adjudicated  without  the  appearance  personally 
of  Col.  James  Higsbee,  the  plaintiff.  I  am  to  ac- 
company the  Colonel,  and,  by  the  way,  Mrs. 
Higsbee  and  their  daughter  Lilly  are  also  to  go 
with  him.  What  a  jolly  crowd  we  will  be!  Both 
of  you,  I  am  sure,  will  fall  in  love  with  that  girl. 
She  is  about  eighteen  ;  is  accomplished,  handsome, 
the  only  child,  and  will  inherit  two  or  three  mil- 
lions. As  for  myself,  I  have  no  matrimonial  in- 
tentions. It  will  be  ten  years,  perhaps  twenty,  be- 
fore I  shall  seriously  consider  the  weighty  subject 
of  matrimony — certainly  not  until  after  I  have 
achieved  distinction  in  my  profession  and  amassed 
a  fortune.   Ah,  there,  Ashton,  what  are  you  blush- 


16  HENRY    ASHTON 

ing  over?  You  are  not  acquainted  with  Lilly 
Higsbee,  are  you?  If  you  are,  and  she  looks  with 
favor  upon  you,  you  are  a  lucky  fellow  and  de- 
serve the  congratulations  of  your  friends." 

'I  have  been  acquainted  with  the  young  lady 
but  a  few  months,"  replied  Ashton.  I  have  a  high 
regard  for  her,  but  we  are  only  friends." 

During  this  conversation  Tom  Lawson  seemed 
to  be  quite  indifferent  to  what  was  being  said  by 
his  two  companions  till  the  remark  was  made  by 
Mr.  Batty  in  which  an  allusion  was  made  to  the 
great  wealth  of  Col.  Higsbee  and  that  Lilly  was 
his  only  child,  when  his  manner  changed  and 
thereafter  he  evinced  a  keen  interest  in  the  con- 
versation. He  made  no  remarks,  but  the  close 
observer  might  have  read  from  his  eyes  his  de- 
termination to  seek  her  acquaintance  and  if  pos- 
sible to  become  her  accepted  lover.  Arising  from 
his  seat,  remarking  that  he  must  be  going,  he 
said  that  he  anticipated  a  pleasant  time  on  the 
prospective  voyage  with  such  companionable  gen- 
tlemen as  Ashton  and  Batty,  and  bidding  those 
persons  good  night,  retired,  expressing,  as  he  did 
so,  a  hope  that  he  might  soon  meet  them  again. 

About  ten  days  after  the  date  of  the  conversa- 
tion above  mentioned  the  steamer  Osceola  left  the 
Melbourne  wharf  and  set  sail  for  San  Francisco. 
Among  her  passengers  were  Col.  and  Mrs.  Higs- 
bee, their  daughter  Lilly,  and  Sam,  their  trusted 
negro  servant ;  George  Batty,  Henry  Ashton  and 
Thomas  Lawson. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day  after  they 
left  port  Miss  Higsbee  and  Mr.  Ashton  met 
while  promenading  on  deck.  A  smile  of  recogni- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  young  lady,  accompanied 


HENRY    ASHTON  17 

by  a  remark  that  the  day  was  a  delightful  one  for 
an  ocean  voyage,  opened  the  way  for  an  hour's 
pleasant  chat  between  the  two  young  people.  At 
their  parting  it  was  quite  apparent  that  each 
seemed  to  be  happy,  and  it  required  no  especial 
gift  of  prophecy  to  predict  that  they  would  meet 
again,  and  often,  before  they  landed  in  America. 
During  the  succeeding  days  of  the  voyage  such 
prediction  was  fulfilled,  and  every  afternoon  the 
two  might  have  been  seen  together.  It  seemed  to 
be  taken  as  settled  by  the  other  passengers,  who 
had  observed  the  loving  glances  and  the  gallant 
attention  of  the  young  engineer  toward  the  lady 
and  the  pleasure  which  she  exhibited  in  being  the 
recipient  of  such  attention,  that  he  was  an  ac- 
cepted lover  or  soon  would  be.  All  this  had  not 
escaped  the  attention  of  Tom  Lawson.  From  the 
very  first  day  he  went  on  board  he  had  endeavored 
to  ingratiate  himself  into  the  good  graces  of  Miss 
Higsbee,  but  his  efforts  had  been  unsuccessful. 
He  had  secured  an  introduction  to  Col.  and  Mrs. 
Higsbee,  as  well  as  to  Lilly;  he  had  sought  her 
in  the  cabin  and  on  deck ;  he  had  presented  her 
with  late  magazines  and  books  and  had  volun- 
teered to  turn  her  music  while  she  was  seated  at 
the  piano.  He  had,  in  her  presence,  talked  of 
his  education,  his  illustrious  ancestry  and  his 
great  wealth,  but  he  had,  as  he  could  plainly  per- 
ceive, made  no  favorable  impression  on  the  lady 
herself.  Her  manner  toward  him  was  dignified 
and  reserved,  but  neither  by  words  spoken  nor 
acts  performed  did  she  give  him  good  grounds  for 
one  ray  of  hope.  But,  shrewd  and  unscrupulous 
adventurer  as  Tom  Lawson  was,  he  did  not  pro- 
pose to  have  his  plans  so  easily  thwarted.    He  had 


18  HENRY    ASHTON 

made  up  his  mind  to  make  Lilly  Higsbee  his  wife, 
not  because  he  loved  her,  but  for  the  reason  that 
he  had  recently  lost  heavily  at  the  gaming  table ; 
he  needed  money,  and  wanted  it  badly.  Col.  Higs- 
bee was  wealthy,  and  if  he  could  succeed  in  mar- 
rying the  capitalist's  only  child  he  would  become 
the  possessor  of  a  large  fortune.  Baffled  by  the 
girl,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  parents.  De- 
termined he  was  to  win  their  favor,  and  through 
them  to  accomplish  his  purpose.  Seeking  a  favor- 
able opportunity  to  meet  Col.  Higsbee  and  wife, 
he  soon  interested  them  in  him  by  eloquently  told 
and  adroitly  planned  narratives  in  which  he  hinted 
at  his  relationship  with  the  Rothschilds,  his  large 
landed  interests  in  South  America,  his  mines  in 
Colorado  and  his  valuable  properties  in  London. 
For  several  days  he  pursued  this  course,  and  was 
not  long  in  discovering  that  he  had  made  a  favor- 
able impression  upon  them.  He  manifested  pro- 
found respect  for  the  Colonel,  flattered  Mrs.  Higs- 
bee and  praised  the  daughter.  On  one  occasion 
he  quietly  hinted  that  he  was  getting  tired  of  a 
bachelor  life  and  would  like  to  marry  and  settle 
down  in  his  elegant  mansion  in  Paris.  To  this, 
after  a  long  pause  and  a  sigh,  he  added  that  noth- 
ing would  so  delight  him  and  fill  his  life  so  full  of 
joy  as  to  make  Lilly  his  wife,  but — but  he  had  lit- 
tle hope  of  winning  her,  as  she  did  not  encourage 
his  attentions  ;  then  assuming  a  serious  expression 
of  countenance,  he  remarked  in  a  low  tone,  tinged 
by  sadness  and  with  apparent  solicitude  for  the 
young  lady,  that  he  presumed  he  was  too  late, 
even  if  under  other  circumstances  she  might  have 
looked  with  favor  upon  him,  but  now  she  was 
doubtless  the  fiancee  of  another.  "And  now,  dear 


HENRY    ASHTON  19 

Colonel,  I  beg  your  pardon  if  what  I  am  going  to 
say  should  offend  you." 

"Not  at  all,  not  at  all,"  replied  Col.  Higsbee. 
"Be  at  your  ease,  sir.  Speak  freely  your  thoughts. 
I  assure  you,  Mr.  Lawson,  I  have  learned  to  be 
very  fond  of  you." 

"Well,  then,"  said  Lawson,  "have  you  long 
known  this  Mr.  Ashton,  who  is  so  assiduously 
courting  your  daughter?" 

To  this  Col.  Higsbee  quickly  and  rather  im- 
pulsively replied:  "No,  not  long;  only  a  few 
months,  and  I  have  no  intimate  acquaintance  with 
him ;  but  you  astonish  me,  Mr.  Lawson,  by  your 
remark  that  my  daughter  may  be  engaged  to  that 
man.  Why,  they  have  been  acquainted  but  a  few 
months.  Now,  while  I  have  noticed  that  they 
have  been  frequently  together  during  this  voy- 
age, I  am  sure  that  there  is  no  deep  attachment 
for  the  gentleman  on  Lilly's  part.  As  to  an  en- 
gagement, such  a  thought  is  preposterous.  We 
have  not  disapproved  of  their  occasional  meetings 
on  this  trip,  for  you  are  aware  that  on  an  ocean 
voyage  there  is  less  formality  and  greater  famil- 
iarity permitted  among  passengers  than  on  land 
at  home.  My  acquaintance  with  young  Ashton, 
as  before  remarked,  is  quite  limited ;  but  though 
he  is,  I  believe,  a  railroad  engineer,  yet  he  was 
spoken  of  by  his  employers  as  an  honorable,  in- 
dustrious man,  and  his  deportment  since  he  came 
aboard  the  ship  appears  to  be  frank  and  courteous. 
But  what  do  you  know  of  him?"  asked  the 
Colonel. 

"Very  little  of  my  own  personal  knowledge," 
replied  Lawson,  "but  I  regret  to  say  that  his  repu- 
tation, at  least  in  some  parts  of  Australia,  is  not 


20  HENRY    ASHTON 

the  most  enviable.  Perhaps  I  might  have  had 
better  opportunities  for  knowing  his  standing  than 
you,  sir." 

"Very  true,  Mr.  Lawson,  very  true,"  said  the 
Colonel,  eagerly.  "And  now  Mrs.  Higsbee  and  I 
both  will  be  under  many  obligations  to  you  if  you 
will  enlighten  us  as  to  the  reputation  of  this 
engineer  who  presumes  to  pay  attentions  to  our 
daughter." 

"His  reputation  to  which  I  allude,"  replied 
Lawson,  "is,  first,  that  he  is  a  Socialist ;  second, 
it  is  charged  that  he  is  a  prominent  leader  in  the 
Labor  Unions,  and  that  in  the  great  strike  of 
railroad  employes  of  some  two  years  ago  he  was 
an  agitator  and  fomenter  of  discontent  among 
the  working  people.  Being  a  Socialist,  it  follows 
that  he  is  an  enemy  of  the  capitalists  and  the 
present  order  of  things,  and  contends  that  the 
rich  and  all  others  who  have  accumulated  proper- 
ty should  divide  up  with  the  shiftless  and  lazy. 
Not  only  that,  but  he  associates  on  terms  of  social 
equality  with  ignorant  farmers,  greasy  mechanics, 
and  other  vulgar  people  who  work  for  a  living,  all 
of  whom  he  contends  should  be  permitted  to  enjoy 
equal  political  privileges  with  the  wealthy  and 
cultivated.  Being  a  close  observer,  as  you  are, 
Colonel,  I  need  not  inform  you  that  all  these  So- 
cialist agitators  are  ignorant,  vulgar  fellows,  who 
have  the  audacity  to  tell  laboring  people  that 
they  are  doing  all  the  work  of  the  world  and  are 
receiving  but  about  one-sixth  of  what  they  pro- 
duce. They  are  creating  discontent  among  the 
lower  classes  by  insisting  that  they  should  have 
all  thev  produce.  Such  a  contention  is  absurd. 
My  belief  is  that  some  were  born  to  serve  and 


HENRY    ASHTON  21 

others  to  command.  There  have  always  been  mas- 
ters and  slaves,  and  there  always  will  be.  These 
garrrulous  agitators  and  mischief  makers  who 
are  howling  against  the  rich  and  making  the  air 
dismal  with  wailing  over  the  alleged  sufferings 
of  their  wives  and  illy-born  progeny  whom  they 
say  they  cannot  properly  feed  and  clothe,  under 
the  present  wage  system,  should  be  promptly  and 
vigorously  suppressed.  They  are  being  paid 
enough.  If  they  received  more  they  would  squan- 
der it  for  strong  drink  or  some  luxury  which 
they  do  not  need.  I  say,  Colonel,  when  these  man 
who  have  more  muscle  than  brains  go  out  on  a 
strike  and  disturb  the  business  of  the  country,  and 
put  property  in  jeopardy,  they  should  be  given 
good  allopathic  doses  of  leaden  pills  and  a  taste 
of  cold  steel  at  the  front  end  of  a  Winchester  rifle. 
But  I  beg  pardon,  Colonel,  if  I  have  expressed 
my  sentiments  too  freely  about  the  engineer  and 
the  class  to  which  he  belongs." 

"No  occasion  for  apology,  Mr.  Lawson,"  ex- 
claimed Col.  Higsbee,  with  much  earnestness.  "I 
fully  concur  with  what  you  have  said  about  these 
clamorous  Union  Labor  men  and  Socialists,  and 
as  for  Engineer  Ashton,  I  will  speedily  look  after 
him,  the  presumptuous  fellow  that  he  is.  I  ex- 
tend to  you  a  most  cordial  invitation  to  dine  with 
us  at  such  time  as  will  be  most  convenient  to  you. 
I  am  sure  that  Mrs.  Higsbee  will  join  me  in  this 
request." 

"Most  heartily,"  rejoined  that  lady.  "It  will 
give  us  the  greatest  pleasure  to  be  honored  by 
your  presence  at  any  time,  and  I  wish  to  thank 
you  for  the  information  you  have  imparted  to  us 
as  to  the  man  who  would  have  the  presumption 


22  HENRY    ASHTON 

to  aspire  to  social  equality  with  our  daughter. 
We  have  higher  aspirations  for  Lilly  than  to  have 
her  fall  in  love  with  and  perhaps  marry  a  poor 
man  who  is  compelled  to  work  for  a  living.  And 
yet,  while  I  detest  those  labor  agitators  and  So- 
cialists you  have  spoken  of,  I  do  feel  much  sym- 
pathy for  the  poor.  The  Scriptures  say,  "Re- 
member the  widow  and  the  fatherless  in  their  af- 
flictions.' I  have  read  that  in  the  great  cities 
there  are  many  thousands  of  poor  women  and  lit- 
tle children  who  sicken  and  die  from  cold,  hun- 
ger and  exposure  and  because  the  husband  and 
father  is  unable  to  secure  employment.  Many 
thousands  of  tender  girls,  I  am  told,  are  forced 
out  to  earn  their  bread,  and  their  wages  are  so 
low  that  they  are  compelled  to  sell  their  honor  that 
they  may  procure  the  necessities  of  life.  Only  a 
few  weeks  ago,  after  a  stirring  sermon  by  our 
beloved  pastor  on  the  duty  of  Christians  to  send 
the  Gospel  to  the  heathen  of  foreign  lands  if  they 
were  to  be  saved  from  endless  torment,  I  contrib- 
uted $500,  and  my  husband  gave  a  like  amount 
for  that  purpose,  but  I  could  not  help  thinking 
that  Christian  people  might  be  doing  even  a  bet- 
ter work  by  assisting  these  unfortunates  of  our 
own  land." 

At  this  point  in  the  conversation  lunch  was  an- 
nounced, when  Lawson  withdrew,  while  Col.  and 
Mrs.  Higsbee  repaired  to  the  dining  hall. 


HENRY    ASHTON  23 


CHAPTER  III. 

THRILLiNG  EXPERIENCE  OF  CASTAWAYS  IN  SMALL 
BOATS. 

The  reader  will  remember  the  argument  on  So- 
cialism between  Lawyer  Batty  and  Mr.  Ashton 
in  the  attorney's  office  in  Melbourne,  and  how, 
after  Mr.  Batty's  eloquent  speech,  further  dis- 
cussion was  prevented  by  the  arrival  of  Tom  Law- 
son.  No  opportunity  for  a  resumption  of  the  de- 
bate had  arisen  until  after  the  Osceola  had  been 
at  sea  several  days.  One  fine  afternoon  while 
Batty  and  Ashton  were  on  deck  the  occasion 
seemed  propitious  for  a  renewal  of  the  argument. 
Mr.  Ashton  opened  the  debate  by  remarking: 

"Well,  Batty,  I  have  not  had  an  opportunity 
until  to-day  to  answer  your  argument  against  So- 
cialism made  in  your  office  before  we  left  home. 
This  seems  to  be  a  favorable  time  for  me  to  com- 
bat you.    What  say  you  to  that?" 

"I  say  all  right.  I  am  ready  to  listen  to  your 
reasons  for  being  a  Socialist,  if  you  have  rea- 
sons," said  Batty. 

"Well,  then,"  rejoined  Ashton,  "prepare  for  a 
Waterloo.  First,  let  me  venture  to  remark  that  I 
think  you  did  not  make  a  mistake  when  you  de- 
cided to  become  a  lawyer.  I  freely  admit  that  you 
state  the  current  objections  to  Socialism  very 
plausibly  and  quite  forcibly,  but  notwithstanding 
your  logic  and  eloquence  I  am  not  convinced  of 
the  correctness  of  your  position.  If  you  will  have 
the  patience  to  hear  me  through  I  think  I  will 
convince  you  that  Socialism  is  not  so  bad  a  thing 


24  HENRY    ASHTON 

as  you  have  been  supposing  it  to  be.  First,  let 
me  correct  some  of  your  errors.  You  say  that  So- 
cialists propose  to  'divide  up'  all  existing  proper- 
ty* giving  each  person  an  equal  share.  You  are 
in  error.  They  advocate  no  such  a  scheme.  Their 
contention  is  that  every  individual  should  have 
an  equal  opportunity  with  every  other  person  in 
the  race  of  life,  that  all  should  render  some  serv- 
ice to  the  world  of  mankind  and  should  enjoy 
the  full  benefit  of  such  service.  Now,  such  an  op- 
portunity does  not  exist.  Every  child  born  ought 
to  have  an  equal  start  with  every  other  child. 
Any  laws  enacted  by  man  which  abridge  this  nat- 
ural right  are  unjust  in  that  they  are  contrary  to 
the  laws  of  Nature.  Human  beings  must  have 
ground  upon  which  to  walk,  and  to  cultivate,  and 
water  to  use,  air  to  breathe,  and  an  opportunity  to 
work,  that  they  may  have  food  to  eat,  clothes  to 
wear  and  houses  in  which  to  live.  But  what  do 
we  find  ?  Why,  we  find  an  economic  system  that 
had  its  origin  in  the  days  when  might  made  right 
and  the  King  could  do  no  wrong,  under  which  the 
lands,  the  water,  the  electricity,  the  power  of 
steam,  the  coal,  the  oil,  the  productive  machinery 
— everything — owned  or  controlled  by  a  few  mo- 
nopolists who  as  certainly  own  the  man  whose 
capital  is  his  labor  only,  as  ever  lord  or  master 
owned  a  slave.  In  the  olden  time  the  successful 
warrior  killed  his  enemy  and  took  his  property 
by  force ;  then,  by  laws  of  inheritance  of  his  own 
enacting,  he  gave  this  booty  to  his  children,  and 
they  gave  it  to  their  children,  and  a  capitalist  class 
was  maintained.  The  child  of  the  capitalist  has 
an  inconceivable  advantage  over  the  child  of  the 
poor  in  the  race  of  life.    The  rich  boy  does  not 


HENRY    ASHTON  25 

work ;  he  adds  nothing  to  the  wealth  of  the  world. 
Yet  by  reason  of  the  power  which  inherited 
wealth  gives  him  (which  wealth  his  father  and 
grandfather  did  not  get  by  labor)  he  has  in  his 
hands  the  power  to  practically  enslave  the  proper- 
tyless  man.  And  he  does  do  it  by  monopolizing 
the  things  that  the  poor  man  must  have  to  enable 
him  to  live.  The  poor  man  can  buy  no  great 
machines,  no  mines,  no  factories,  no  railroads, 
but  the  rich  man  can.  Because  he  can  and  does 
he  can  dictate  the  terms  upon  which  the  wage- 
worker  shall  live.  He  can  dictate  his  wages  and 
the  number  of  hours  he  shall  toil  for  him.  The 
wage  slave  can  quit  the  service  of  his  master,  but 
if  he  does,  where  shall  he  go,  what  shall  he  do? 
He  finds  all  about  him  the  same  condition  of 
things.  The  only  freedom  left  him  is  the  right 
to  change  masters.  If  he  decides  to  do  that,  and 
starts  to  walk  on  the  public  highway  to  another 
town,  the  constables  can  arrest  him  as  a  vagrant 
without  any  visible  means  of  support,  and  compel 
him  to  break  rock  with  a  ball  and  chain  about 
his  limbs.  If  he  prefers  to  strike  for  a  raise  of 
wages  instead  of  seeking  a  job  elsewhere,  the 
courts  will  enjoin  him,  and  if  the  cries  of  distress 
of  his  hungry  wife  and  crying  little  ones  loosen 
his  tongue  so  that  he  talks  too  loud  about  his 
troubles,  the  police  batter  him  with  a  club  over  the 
head.  If  he  resists,  the  soldiers  are  called  out  and 
he  is  shot  down  like  a  dog. 

"At  this  point  I  would,  friend  Batty,  anticipate 
what  you  would  say — i.  e.,  that  all  this  is  accord- 
ing to  the  laws  and  well-established  customs  of 
civilized  countries.  Yes,  I  admit  that,  but  the  rich 
made  the  laws,  and  they  made  them  in  their  own 


26  HENRY   ASHTON 

interest.  Did  it  ever  occur  to  you  that,  for  the 
most  part,  our  vast  system  of  laws  is  chiefly  for 
the  protection  of  property  rights?  We  have  vol- 
umes upon  volumes  of  statutes  and  decisions  de- 
fining the  rights  of  property — of  things — but  the 
enactments  for  the  protection  of  life — of  men, 
women  and  children — might  be  contained  in  one 
small  book.  Socialism  does  not  propose  to  divide 
up  existing  property,  but  it  does  propose  to  abol- 
ish some  antiquated  legal  enactments  that  origi- 
nated in  a  cruel,  selfish  age  of  the  world ;  it  does 
propose  to  adopt  an  economic  system  under  which 
there  shall  be  equal  privileges  to  all  and  special 
privileges  to  none.  It  does  propose  to  place  a 
higher  estimate  on  life  and  liberty  of  men,  wom- 
en and  children  than  on  property  and  perishable 
things.  It  does  protest  against  the  expenditure 
of  billions  of  wealth  created  by  labor  in  construct- 
ing warships,  and  implements  to  be  used  in  the 
killing  of  human  beings,  and  demands  that  this 
vast  sum  be  applied  in  educating  the  children  and 
in  promoting  the  happiness  of  the  people. 

"Socialism,  briefly  defined,  means  the  produc- 
tion of  commodities  for  USE  instead  of  for  profit. 

"Socialists  propose  to  bring  this  about  by 
placing  all  materials  used  in  the  production,  dis- 
tribution and  exchange  of  commodities  under  the 
control  of  the  whole  people,  to  be  used  by  the  peo- 
ple and  for  the  people. 

"Socialists  do  not  advocate  confiscation.  On 
the  contrary,  they  are  anti-confiscators,  and  desire 
so  to  organize  industry  and  the  conditions  under 
which  industry  is  carried  on  as  to  prevent  a  few 
from  confiscating  the  wealth  produced  by  the 
many. 


HENRY   ASHTON  27 

"Socialists  believe  that  this  world  was  made 
for  the  whole  human  family,  and  not  for  a  few. 
They  therefore  adopted  as  their  motto,  'Equal  op- 
portunities to  all.'  'Every  man  according  to  his 
deeds.'  For  war  they  would  substitute  arbitra- 
tion ;  for  confiscation,  co-operation ;  for  selfish- 
ness, generosity;  for  charity,  justice;  for  mon- 
archy, democracy ;  for  slavery,  liberty ;  for  cruel- 
ty, kindness ;  for  hate,  love  and  sympathy  for  their 
fellow  men.  Who  can  say  these  fundamental 
principles  of  Socialism  are  impracticable?  Are 
not  some  or  all  of  them  in  practical  operation 
somewhere  now  ?  Do  they  suggest  anarchy  or  vi- 
olence? On  the  contrary,  will  they  not  abolish 
war,  right  grievous  wrongs  and  inaugurate  peace 
and  happiness  throughout  the  world  ?  Will  their 
adoption  destroy  good  government?  Not  unless 
monarchies  and  despotisms  are  good  and  'govern- 
ments of  the  people,  by  the  people,  and  for  the 
people,'  are  bad.  Are  these  Socialistic  principles 
antagonistic  to  true  religion  ?  A  careful  study  of 
the  life  and  teachings  of  Jesus  Christ  has  led  me 
to  believe  that  they  are  not,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
they  are  in  harmony  with  the  doctrines  of  the 
great  teacher  himself. 

"Socialists  are  sometimes  called  agitators  and 
disturbers  of  the  existing  order  of  things,  and  I 
admit  we  are.  We  have  good  reasons  for  being 
such.  Jesus  was  an  agitator;  John  Brown  and 
William  Lloyd  Garrison  were  agitators,  and  so 
was  every  reformer  in  all  the  past.  There  is  great 
need  of  agitation  now  if  the  working  people  of 
Australia,  and  Europe,  and  America  are  saved 
from  a  deeper  slavery.  Let  me,  friend  Batty, 
quote  to  you  a  few  statistics  from  the  United 


28  HENRY    ASHTON 

States  of  America,  where,  within  a  few  years,  a 
few  great  capitalists,  associating  themselves  to- 
gether in  Trusts,  have  astonished  the  world  at 
the  rapidity  with  which  they  amassed  colossal  for- 
tunes by  crushing  small  competitors  and  monopo- 
lizing all  the  public  utilities.  By  a  system  of  stock 
watering  and  tariff  legislation,  and  a  forcing  up 
in  price  of  all  that  the  people  had  to  buy  from  30 
to  40  per  cent,  while  they  kept  the  wages  of  work- 
ingmen  nearly  stationary,  they  have  been  enabled 
to  accumulate  private  fortunes  which  for  vastness 
of  magnitude  far  exceed  the  wealth  of  the  ancient 
Kings  of  Egypt.    But  here  are  some  statistics : 

"  'In  1850  the  total  wealth  of  the  United  States 
was  $8,000,000,000.  The  producers'  share  was 
sixty-two  and  a  half  per  cent,  the  non-producers' 
share  was  thirty-seven  and  a  half  per  cent.  In 
1890  the  total  wealth  was  $61,000,000,000.  The 
producers'  share  had  fallen  to  seventeen  per  cent 
and  the  non-producers'  share  was  eighty  three  per 
cent.  In  1900  it  is  estimated  that  the  total  wealth 
is  $100,000,000,000.  The  producers'  share  is  but 
ten  per  cent,  the  non-producers'  share  is  ninety 
per  cent.  This  tendency  has  gone  on  until  now 
fifty  millions  of  people  own  no  homes.  One- 
eighth  of  the  people  own  seven-eighths  of  all  the 
wealth.' 

"The  National  Labor  Statistician  of  the  United 
States  is  quoted  as  saying  that  the  average  rate 
of  wages  per  year  paid  in  that  country  is  $347, 
while  the  average  product  of  each  laborer  is  val- 
ued at  $1,888.  The  laborer  is  therefore  exploited 
out  of  $1,541  each  year,  or  about  five-sixths  of  his 
earnings. 

"Ernest  H.  Crosby  in  1901  wrote :    Tf  you  had 


HEXRY    ASHTON  29 

been  alive  150  years  ago,  and  some  prophet  had 
told  you  that  in  the  year  1901  one  man  could  by 
means  of  machinery  do  the  work  of  thirteen — 
striking  an  average  for  all  trades  and  industries — 
what  would  you  have  said  ?  Would  you  not  have 
exclaimed :  "Why,  then,  people  will  only  have  to 
work  one-thirteenth  as  much  as  they  do  now,  and 
with  two  or  three  hours'  work  a  day  they  will 
have  all  the  luxuries  imaginable."  Well,  it  is  a 
fact.  To-day  one  man  can  do  as  much  as  thir- 
teen could  in  1750.  The  wealth  of  the  world  has 
increased  enormously.  In  this  country  especially 
it  is  increasing  by  leaps  and  bounds,  and  yet  no 
less  an  authority  than  John  Stuart  Mill  said  twen- 
ty years  ago  that  it  was  doubtful  if  machinery 
had  lightened  the  toil  of  a  single  workman.' 
Xo,  it  has  not,  and  never  will,  so  long  as  private 
capitalists  are  permitted  to  own  privately  all  the 
machines  and  monopolize  all  the  forces  of  nature. 
"Another  American  says :  'The  aggrandize- 
ment of  one  class  and  the  relative  impoverishment 
of  other  classes,  if  allowed  to  continue,  means  the 
ultimate  extinction  of  free  institutions.  A  man 
who  earns  $1,  $2,  $3  or  even  $5  a  day  is  an  in- 
finitesimal pigmy  by  the  side  of  an  elephantine 
trust  magnate,  with  an  income  of  $100,000  a  day 
and  the  ownership  of  a  whole  cityful  or  stateful 
of  property.  The  contrast  between  sovereign  and 
subject  in  the  Old  World  is  nothing  to  the  con- 
trast between  the  laboring  man  and  the  monop- 
olist of  full  growth.  The  German  Emperor's  in- 
come is  about  $8,000  a  day,  and  he  lives  on  that 
quite  comfortably.  But  Carnegie,  the  ex-steel 
king,  has  an  income  of  $40,000  a  day,  and  Rocke- 
feller, the  oil  emperor,  has  daily  revenues  esti- 


30  HENRY   ASHTON 

mated  at  $70,000  to  $200,000  a  day.  He  can  buy  the 
labor  of  a  hundred  thousand  workingmen  with 
his  surplus  income.  How  utterly  insignificant  are 
the  possessions,  influence,  opportunities  and  liber- 
ties of  the  ordinary  man  as  compared  with  the 
wealth  and  power  of  one  of  these  great  monopo- 
lists. Thus  democracy  is  impossible  under  such 
conditions.  Men  are  not  equal  before  the  law 
when  the  wealth  of  one  is  microscopic  and  the 
wealth  of  another  is  mountainous.  The  problem 
of  dealing  with  the  trust  is  the  problem  of  pre- 
serving free  government  and  political  equality.' 

"Now,  Brother  Batty,  I  have  not  forgotten  your 
argument  on  the  'survival  of  the  fittest.'  I 
ask  you  in  all  candor  can  you  justify  the  ex- 
ploiting of  the  millions  by  a  handful  of  shrewd 
but  greedy  monopolists  because  the  strong 
beasts  of  the  jungles  devour  the  weaker  ones? 
Is  man  nothing  more  than  an  animal,  and  a 
savage  one  at  that?  Can  you  not  conceive  that 
the  theory  of  evolution  may  be  true  and  that  in 
its  higher  mode  of  expression  the  kind,  the  just, 
the  conscientious,  the  merciful  man  is  a  'fitter' 
being  than  the  greedy,  the  cruel,  the  conscience- 
less man,  even  though  he  may  possess  great 
ability — the  man  who  grabs  away  from  his  fel- 
lowman  five-sixths  of  his  earnings  and  has  no 
pity  for  his  victim  nor  for  his  wife  and  babies? 
Again:  You  object  to  Socialism  because  you 
think  it  would  destroy  men's  incentive.  My 
answer  to  that  is,  that  it  is  to  be  hoped  that 
it  will  at  least  curb,  and  modify,  and  control 
the  incentive  of  those  who  seem  to  have  little 
or  no  regard  for  the  rights  of  others.  Surely 
you  have  not  failed  to  observe  that  the  great 


HENRY    ASHTON  31 

and  good  men  who  have  blessed  the  world  were 
moved  to  render  some  valuable  service  to  their 
kind  rather  than  to  exploit  them.  Such  char- 
acters as  Homer,  and  Moses,  and  Jesus,  and 
Galilleo,  and  Buddha,  and  Columbus,  and  Her- 
schel,  and  Lafayette,  and  Washington,  and 
Garrison,  and  Lincoln,  and  many  others,  were 
moved  by  a  higher  sentiment  than  greed,  and 
their  names  are  honored  and  forever  will  be, 
while  Nero,  and  Judas,  and  Benedict  Arnold, 
and  scores  of  arrogant,  avaricious  millionaires 
and  monopolists  are  remembered  only  because 
of  their  greed,  or  their  infamy. 

"Next  you  say  that  Socialism  is  impracticable, 
In  this  you  are  again  in  error.  It  can  easily 
be  put  into  practical  operation  in  its  fullness. 
Have  you  thought,  Brother  Batty,  that  we  have 
now  a  great  many  Socialistic  institutions  ? 
Why,  the  fact  is  that  all  our  good  institutions 
are  Socialistic.  What  is  Socialism?  My  reply 
is  that  it  is  another  name  for  co-operation — for 
collectivism.  It  may  not  have  occurred  to  you 
but  it  is  a  fact  nevertheless  that  all  our  public 
schools,  cemeteries,  libraries,  bridges,  highways, 
court  houses,  asylums,  prisons,  the  postal  sys- 
tem and  other  public  institutions  are  Socialis- 
tic because  they  were  established  by  the  people 
collectively.  The  practice  of  individualism  or 
competition  in  its  purity,  would  disintegrate  all 
civilization  and  send  us  back  into  savagery.  On 
the  other  hand  the  inauguration  of  more  Social- 
ism would  lead  to  a  higher  and  better  civiliza- 
tion. 

"All  the  world's  progress  so  far  has  been  along 
co-operative  or  Socialistic    lines.       All    future 


32  HENRY   ASHTON 

progress  must  be  in  the  same  way.  If  we  refuse 
to  co-operate,  one  with  another  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  desirable  ends,  civilization  will 
come  to  a  stand  still.  If  we  foster  the  idea  of 
the  private  ownership  of  public  utilities  long 
enough,  we  shall  retrograde  and  the  liberties 
of  the  masses  will  vanish.  We  are  now  facing 
a  great  problem.  On  its  proper  solution  de- 
pends our  democratic  institutions.  The  trusts 
and  other  great  aggregations  of  capital  are  se- 
riously menacing  our  liberties.  There  is  a  rem- 
edy for  this  evil  but  it  must  be  speedily  applied. 
That  remedy  is  to  take  these  public  utilities  out 
of  the  hands  of  individuals  and  turn  them  over 
to  all  the  people.  The  Nation  should  own  the 
Trusts." 

"But,"  interrupted  Batty,  "if  I  admit  what 
you  say  as  to  the  dangerous  tendencies  of  these 
great  monopolies  I  still  do  not  see  how  they 
can  be  taken  over  by  the  people  without  con- 
fiscation   or    a   bloody    revolution." 

"Neither  confiscation  nor  violent  revolution  is 
necessary,"  said  Ashton.  "The  problem  is 
easy  of  solution.  It  is  now  and  long 
has  been  the  .'aw  and  the  practice  that 
when  the  Government  (city,  county,  State,  Na- 
tion) wanted  a  piece  of  property  owned  by  pri- 
vate parties,  for  public  uses,  to  duly  appraise 
the  same,  pay  the  owner  the  appraisement  price 
and  convert  it  to  the  use  of  the  public. 

"The  steel  trust,  the  oil  trust,  the  railroads  or 
any  other  monopoly  or  public  utility  might  be 
appraised  at  what  they  are  actually  worth  (with 
the  watered  stock  squeezed  out),  the  owners 
paid  for  the  plant  and  they  could  thereafter  be 


HENRY   ASHTON  33 

owned  by  the  people  collectively  and  operated 
at  cost  to  the  incalculable  benefit  of  the  public 

"To  thus  convert  private  property  to  public 
uses  would  be  applying  a  principle  long  estab- 
lished. Socialists  urge  that  certain  industrial 
conditions  have  recently  grown  up  which  make 
it  necessary  for  the  people  to  take  another  for- 
ward  step  in  collectivism. 

"One  of  the  planks  in  their  platform  is  'no 
opposition  to  trusts  as  such,  but  when  the} 
become  oppressive  and  injurious  to  the  masses 
by  displacing  large  numbers  of  working  men 
and  charge  extortionate  prices  for  their  ser- 
vices or  products,  and  destroy  all  competition  in 
their  line  of  business,  then  they  should  be  con- 
verted from  private  to  public  ownership." 

"Socialism  does  not  propose  to  abolish  all  pri- 
vate property.  Its  proposition  is  to  convert  ta 
public  uses  only  such  franchises  or  utilities  as 
show  by  their  nature  that  they  should  be  owned 
collectively  and  ought  to  be  conducted  in  the 
interest  of  all  the  people.  Our  contention  is 
that  machinery  and  the  great  forces  of  nature 
designed  by  infinite  wisdom  to  contribute  to 
the  well-being  of  the  whole  human  family  shall 
not  be  monopolized  by  a  few  individuals  for 
their  selfish  gratification  and  to  the  detriment  of 
the  whole  race. 

"Socialism  is  practicable  because  it  is  founded 
on  justice.  It  will  finally  triumph  because  it 
stands  for  high  ideals  and  those  ideals  are  the 
happiness  of  every  man,  woman  and  child. 

"Competition  is  impracticable  because  it  is 
founded  on  selfishness  and  greed.  It  will  fail 
because  it  stands  for  no  high  ideals.     Only  the 


34  HENRY    ASHTON 

crafty  few  who  have  little  regard  for  the  rights 
of  others  can  succeed  under  competition.  Prac- 
ticed in  its  purity  it  curses  the  masses  and 
wrecks  the  morals  of  those  who  succeed  by  its 
methods. 

'"The  few  amass  colossal  fortunes,  estab- 
lish a  moneyed  aristocracy,  learn  to  de- 
spise the  victims  of  their  greed  and  become 
despotic  and  enemies  of  a  democratic  form  of 
government.  The  masses  are  forced  into  bank- 
ruptcy, poverty  and  ignorance.  The  poor  are 
crowded  to  the  verge  of  despair  and  crime. 

"The  doctrine  that  'might  makes  right,'  and 
the  'survival  of  the  fittest,'  may  be  a  rule  of 
conduct  among  ferocious  beasts  and  reptiles  of 
the  jungle  and  among  ignorant  and  savage 
tribes  of  men,  but  intelligent  civilized  people 
have  evolved  to  a  sphere  where  a  higher  law 
prevails.  The  great  teacher  said  'a  new  law  I 
give  unto  you,  that  you  love  one  another.' 

"Competition,  founded  as  it  is  on  jealousy  and 
strife,  breeds  anarchy,  and  is  a  deadly  enemy 
of  true  religion  and  of  a  high  civilization.  No  one 
can  practice  the  precepts  of  Christ  under  a  com- 
petitive system  of  business. 

"Socialism,  founded  as  it  is  on  order,  harmony 
and  love  for  humanity,  having  emblazoned  upon 
its  banners,  'An  injury  to  one  is  the  concern  of 
all,'  will  create  conditions  under  which  compe- 
tition and  anarchy  cannot  exist.  It  must  tri- 
umph because  it  is  planted  on  the  law  of  prog- 
ress governing  heaven  and  earth.  Though  now 
misunderstood  by  some  and  wilfully  misrepre- 
sented by  others,  it  will  encircle  the  world  and 


HENRY   ASHTON  35 

the  powers  of  darkness  and  discord  shall  not 
prevail  against  it." 

As  Mr.  Ashton  closed  this  somewhat  lengthy 
but  earnest  argument,  and  before  Mr.  Batty 
could  make  any  reply,  they  were  joined  by  Cap- 
tain Johnson  who  seemed  to  wear  a  decidedly 
anxious  expression  of  countenance.  Turning  to 
him  Mr.  Ashton  said : 

"Well,  Captain,  we  are  having  a  very  pleas- 
ant voyage  so  far.  I  am  enjoying  the  trip  im- 
mensely. Every  day  since  we  left  Melbourne 
the  sun  has  shed  his  rays  in  splendor ;  no  clouds 
have  obscured  the  sky ;  no  adverse  winds  have 
driven  the  staunch  ship  from  her  course,  and 
no  high  and  angry  waves  have  been  encount- 
ered. How  far  are  we  from  San  Francisco, 
Captain,  and  when  do  you  expect  to  enter  the 
Golden  Gate?" 

"Yes,  gentlemen,"  said  the  Captain,  "we  have 
had  fine  weather  and  a  smooth  sea.  I  hope  it 
may  be  our  good  fortune  to  have  such  favor- 
able conditions  to  the  end  of  the  voyage.  We 
are  yet  about  two  hundred  miles  from  our  des- 
tination. I  would  not  needlessly  awaken  your 
apprehensions  and  indeed  have  little  cause  for 
doing  so,  yet  I  have  to  confess  that  there  are 
indications  that  our  good  weather  may  not  con- 
tinue many  hours.  I  need  not  detail  my  sev- 
eral reasons  for  this  opinion  for  they  would 
not  be  understood  except  by  experienced  sea- 
men. There  are,  however,  signs  that  a  storm 
is  approaching  which  is  liable  to  break  upon 
us  in  a  very  short  time.  I  have  in  my  twenty 
years'  experience  as  a  sailor  on  both  the  At- 
lantic and  Pacific    oceans,    passed    through  a 


36  HENRY    ASHTON 

score  of  squalls  and  have  no  dread  of  the  one 
that  seems  now  to  be  impending,  and  yet,  gen- 
tlemen, I  never  yearn  for  a  big  blow  and  a  fu- 
rious sea." 

As  the  Captain  made  this  observation,  he 
turned  his  eyes  to  the  westward  which  act  was 
noticed  by  his  companions  and  they  too  looked 
in  the  same  direction.  Above  the  horizon,  and 
far  distant,  might  be  seen  a  low,  dark  bank  of 
clouds,  and  to  the  experienced  mariner  indica- 
tions of  fierce  winds  were  perceptible. 

The  Captain  looked  intently  and  for  several 
minutes  at  the  cloud,  then  without  another  word 
walked  briskly  to  another  part  of  the  vessel. 
Ashton  and  Batty  also  separated,  each  going 
to  his  respective  stateroom.  In  less  than  two 
hours  the  sky  was  overcast  by  a  dense  cloud, 
vivid  flashes  of  lightning  flitted  athwart  the 
sky  and  to  the  waters  below,  and  the  wind  had 
increased  to  a  gale.  The  waves  grew  larger 
and  still  larger  every  succeeding  ten  minutes, 
and  it  was  apparent  to  all  on  board  that  a  severe 
storm  was  on.  For  several  hours  it  increased 
in  fury,  then  came  a  cry  from  below  that  an 
important  part  of  the  propelling  machinery  had 
broken.  The  ship  soon  became  unmanageable 
and  an  hour  had  not  elapsed  before  she  sprang  a 
leak  followed  by  the  command  of  the  Captain 
to  "lower  the  small  boats,"  and  prepare  to 
leave  the  steamer,  as  narrated  in  Chapter  first. 
The  boats  were  lowered  and  the  passengers 
and  crew  were,  with  much  difficulty,  and  amidst 
great  excitement  yet  without  serious  accident, 
transferred  to  them. 


HENRY   ASHTON  37 


CHAPTER  IV. 

RESCUE  OF  MR.  AND  MRS.  HIGSBEE. 

The  reader  has  already  become  somewhat  ac- 
quainted with  several  of  the  passengers.  After 
he  has  read  this  story  he  will  know  them  better. 
Occasions  like  this,  when  more  than  a  score 
of  people  are  in  deadly  peril,  when  each  one 
must  think  and  act  quickly  the  dominant  char- 
acteristics of  each  is  apt  to  be  revealed.  At  the 
command  of  Captain  Johnson  for  all  to  leave 
the  sinking  steamer,  the  very  first  passenger  to 
spring  to  the  assistance  of  the  faithful  crew  in 
carrying  out  their  orders,  was  Henry  Ashton. 
He  ran  to  the  state  rooms  and  aroused  the 
inmates.  In  a  few  words  and  without  apparent 
fear,  he  informed  the  frightened  passengers  of 
the  necessity  to  quit  the  ship ;  he  quickly,  yet 
without  visible  excitement,  distributed  life  pre- 
servers ;  he  assisted  in  lowering  the  affrighted 
people  into  the  boats,  and  by  his  brave  and  self- 
possessed  manner  inspired  many  with  confi- 
dence and  hope.  When  the  boats  were  ready 
his  first  act  was  to  see  that  Miss  Higsbee  and 
her  mother  were  among  the  first  to  be  safely 
seated  in  one  of  the  small  boats.  This  done, 
he  next  directed  his  attention  to  Col.  Higsbee 
but  the  Colonel  was  not  in  his  berth ;  he  had 
rushed  on  deck  at  the  first  alarm  and  was  not 
easily  found.  No  time  was  to  be  lost ;  others 
were  to  be  saved  and  young  Ashton  heroic- 
ally set  about     saving  those  nearest     to  him. 


38  HENRY    ASHTON 

When  the  third  boat  was  nearly  loaded  and 
Ashton  was  engaged  in  assisting  an  aged  pas- 
senger to  descend  over  the  side  of  the  ship,  he 
was  nearly  hurled  into  the  sea  by  Sam,  Col. 
Higsbee's  colored  servant,  who  came  rushing 
forward  with  two  life  preservers  strapped  about 
his  body  and  one  around  his  neck,  shouting  at 
the  top  of  his  voice : 

"Oh,  Massa  Ashting,  Massa  Ashting!  for  de 
God's  sake  help  dis  here  niggah  for  to  git  inter 
dat  are  boat.  Fs  got  'ligion  but  I  doan  want 
to  be  going  to  heaben  in  dat  are  water  so  sud- 
den !"  And  the  engineer  lowered  Sam,  life-pre- 
servers and  all,  to  the  coveted  place. 

As  rapidly  as  was  possible  under  the  circum- 
stances the  passengers  and  crew  were  got  into 
the  boats,  Captain  Johnson  and  Henry  Ashton 
being  the  last  ones  to  leave  the  sinking  steamer. 
After  the  four  boats  had  shoved  off  and  the 
Osceola  had  gone  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  it 
was  found  greatly  to  the  grief  and  disappoint- 
ment of  the  Higsbee  family,  that  they  had  been 
separated.  Mrs.  Higsbee  and  Lilly  were  among 
the  occupants  of  one  boat  and  Colonel  Higsbee 
of  another.  With  the  Colonel  was  Henry  Ash- 
ton but  all  the  others  were  strangers. 

At  the  first  cry  of  danger  on  the  ship  Tom 
Lawson,  trembling  with  fright,  did  nothing  in 
the  way  of  assisting  others,  but,  jostling  women 
and  children  aside,  he  leaped  into  the  first  boat 
lowered,  where  he  crouched  till  after  the  disap- 
pearance of  the  steamer.  After  the  immediate 
danger  of  going  down  with  the  ship  had  passed, 
and  the  boat  had  shoved  out  to  a  safe  distance, 
and  he  had  to  some  extent  regained  self-pos- 


HENRY   ASHTON  39 

session,  he  then  discovered  that  Mrs.  and  Miss 
Higsbee  were  also  occupants  of  his  boat  while 
Henry  Ashton,  his  hated  rival,  was  not.  At 
seeing  this  situation  he  gave  utterance  to  a  low 
chuckle  of  satisfaction.  He  feared  he  might 
yet  be  lost,  for  the  waves  still  roared,  and  the 
wind  howled  most  furiously,  and  he  was  far 
from  land,  but  he  said  to  himself,  "If  I  and 
Lilly  Higsbee  ever  do  live  to  again  set  foot 
upon  land,  I  will  leave  nothing  undone  to  make 
her  my  wife ;  as  for  Ashton  I  hope  he  may  be 
drowned." 

For  a  time  the  four  small  boats  were  not  far 
apart.  Every  possible  effort  was  put  forth  by 
each  to  head  to  the  eastward  and  to  keep  near 
each  other,  but  all  efforts  to  steer  and  to  make 
effective  use  of  the  oars  were  futile.  The  sea 
was  still  turbulant  and  it  required  all  the  tact 
and  vigilance  that  crew  and  passengers  could 
command,  to  prevent  the  upsetting  of  their  lit- 
tle crafts.  But  the  storm  was  abating;  the 
waves  were  slowly  losing  their  fury  and  hope 
for  rescue  began  to  revive.  But  a  new  peril 
was  in  store  for  them.  As  the  storm  subsided  a 
dense  chilling  fog  settled  down  upon  the  ill- 
fated  voyagers,  and  they  began  to  fully  realize 
the  horrible  situation  of  being  out  on  a  track- 
less waste  of  waters  below7,  and  a  blinding,  im- 
penetrable fog  above  and  around  them,  and  that 
they  were  wet  and  cold  and  hungry.  The 
darkness  of  night  had  set  in.  Not  a  ray  of 
light  greeted  them  from  shore  or  passing 
ship.  Some  prayed  fervently  to  God  for  de- 
liverance ;  others  were  silent ;  still  others  appre- 
hensive of  deeper  troubles  and  yet  were  not 


40  HENRY   ASHTON 

without   hope   that   their   lives   would   be   pre- 
served. 

No  one  who  has  not  had  like  experience  can 
have  even  a  faint  idea  of  the  terror  of  such  a 
situation.  From  the  first  Lilly  Higsbee  had  ex- 
hibited a  spirit  of  bravery  whatever  may  have 
been  her  secret  thoughts.  Her  mother  was 
much  of  the  night  on  the  verge  of  despair.  She 
had  not  only  suffered  from  an  intense  nervous 
shock,  but  was  inconsolable  over  the  separation 
from  her  husband.  She  knew  he  had  left  the 
sinking  ship  and  was  in  one  of  the  small  boats, 
but  her  feelings  of  thankfulness  that  he  was 
thus  saved  were  greatly  overshadowed  by  the 
fear  that  he  might  still  be  lost,  or  that  she  might 
never  see  him  again.  Assiduously  and  with 
hopeful,  cheering  words,  did  Lilly  apply  her- 
self in  the  effort  to  comfort  her  mother  and  to 
buoy  up  her  spirits.  The  long  hideous  night 
finally  passed  and  although  the  unfortunate 
castaways  were  suffering  from  fright,  hunger 
and  exposure,  they  hailed  the  advent  of  the 
morning  with  many  exclamations  of  joy  and 
satisfaction.  They  hoped  and  some  fervently 
praved  that  some  passing  ship  might  discover 
and  rescue  them.  During  the  night  Tora  Law- 
son  changed  his  position  so  that  he  would  be 
near  Miss  Higsbee.  Two  or  three  times  he 
ventured  to  address  her,  hoping  thus  to  estab- 
lish familiar  relations  but  his  efforts  were  not 
successful.  She  politely  but  curtly  made  an- 
swer to  each  of  his  interrogatories,  but  declined 
his  proffered  assistance,  and  avoided  being 
drawn  into  any  conversation  with  him.  She 
knew  of  his  selfish   and  cowardly  conduct   in 


HENRY    ASHTON  41 

leaving  the  ship,  for  she  had  observed  his  ac- 
tions. More  than  ever  did  she  dislike  him. 
Her  dislike  had  even  matured  into  disgust  if  not 
in  actual  hatred.  Lawson  could  not  fail  to 
understand  the  feelings  she  had  toward  him  for, 
knave  and  coward  that  he  was,  he  was  not  a 
fool.  He  finally  relapsed  into  a  sullen  silence. 
It  was  now  broad  day  light ;  the  winds  had 
subsided ;  the  sea  was  rapidly  assuming  its 
wonted  placidity,  and  so  far  as  sea,  and  wind, 
and  sky  were  concerned,  each  gave  assurance 
of  a  pleasant  coming  day.  But  not  a  sail  was  to 
be  seen.  During  the  night  and  the  afternoon 
preceding  it,  the  four  small  boats  were  widely 
separated  each  from  the  other.  The  morning 
slowly  wore  away ;  the  sun  was  nearing  the 
tenth  hour,  when  Patrick,  an  Irish  sailor,  one 
of  the  crew  of  the  Osceola,  startled  all  on 
board.  Standing  up  in  the  boat  and  pointing  to 
the  southwestward  he  almost  screamed:  "Look, 
gentlemen,  look !  There  comes  a  steamer  if 
me  eyes  don't  decave  me,  and  bedad,  they  don't 
for  I  see  shmoke  and  what  the  divil  could  pro- 
juce  a  shmoke  out  there  in  the  wather  but  a 
stame  engine !" 

Instantly  all  eyes  were  turned  in  the  direc- 
tion indicated  by  Patrick,  and  sure  enough,  a 
big  stream  of  smoke  could  be  seen  in  the  dis- 
tance. It  was  not  long  before  the  vessel  her- 
self was  easily  discerned,  and  joy  unspeakable, 
she  was  headed  almost  directly  toward  the  cast- 
aways. A  signal  flag  was  hastily  prepared  by 
joining  two  or  three  white  handkerchiefs  to- 
gether which  were  vigorously  waved  for  twenty 
or  thirty  minutes.       For  a  time  the  anxious  in- 


42  HENRY    ASHTON 

mates  of  the  boat  were  undecided  whether  or 
not  their  signal  had  been  observed  by  the 
steamer;  then,  it  was  noticed  that  she  slightly 
changed  her  course  and  steered  directly  toward 
them.  As  she  did  this  and  approached  nearer, 
Patrick  again  shouted,  "Be  gorra,  she  sees  us, 
and  the  crew  is  preparing  to  lower  a  small 
boat.  We  are  all  right ;  we'll  soon  be  aboard 
of  that  craft  and  have  a  square  meal  and  a  drop 
of  hot  liquids.  Thanks  to  the  blessed  Vargin, 
and  may  the  blissings  of  all  the  saints  of  ould 
Ireland  rist  down  on  the  head  of  the  captain  of 
that  ship." 

It  was  as  Patrick  had  said.  Within  thirty 
minutes  stalwart  sailors  from  the  "Josephine," 
a  French  steamer,  were  along  side  of  our  friends 
and  in  less  than  half  an  hour  had  transferred 
them  to  their  own  ship.  Captain  Reguet,  and 
his  officers  and  crew,  treated  them  most  kindly. 
Some  were  ill,  others  were  benumbed  and  al- 
most unable  to  walk  from  severe  exposure,  and 
all  were  hungry  from  their  long  fasting.  Cap- 
tain Reguet  gave  orders  that  everything  should 
be  done  within  the  power  of  his  subordinates  to 
make  the  shipwrecked  victims  comfortable,  and 
the  orders  were  quickly  and  cheerfully  executed. 

The  Josephine  was  bound  for  Portland,  Ore- 
gon. 

Not  a  single  one  of  the  rescued  persons  when 
they  started  to  cross  the  Pacific  had  Portland 
as  his  intended  destination,  but  there  was  not 
one  of  them  now  who  was  not  willing,  but  re- 
joiced beyond  expression,  to  accompany  Capt. 
Reguet  to  that  or  any  other  port  where  they 
might  be  safely  landed. 


HENRY    ASHTON  43 


CHAPTER  V. 

RESCUE  OF  HENRY  ASHTON,  AND  HIS  HEROIC  ACT. 

And  now  the  curiosity  of  the  reader  is 
aroused  to  know  the  whereabouts  of  the  pas- 
sengers in  the  other  three  small  boats.  Several 
of  them  were  never  heard  from  and  probably 
went  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  The  little  craft 
boarded  by  Col.  Higsbee  and  Henry  Ashton, 
had  even  a  more  perilous  and  thrilling  experi- 
ence than  the  one  picked  up  by  the  Josephine. 
Like  the  others,  it  was,  for  what  seemed  an 
age  to  its  occupants,  helpless  in  the  grip  of  the 
storm  and  fog.  After  a  terrible  experience  of 
about  forty-eight  hours  duration,  it  was  fortu- 
nate enough  to  be  seen  by  a  western  bound 
ship,  the  "Roswell,"  whose  destination  was 
Hong  Kong,  China.  Small  boats  were  prompt- 
ly sent  to  its  relief.  It  is  only  those  who  are 
endowed  by  a  vivid  imagination  who  can  have 
even  a  feeble  conception  of  the  joy  felt  by  those 
rescued  persons  wnen  they  found  the  Ros- 
well's  boats,  manned  by  stalwart  seamen,  along 
side  of  them,  and  they  realized  that  they  were 
to  be  saved  from  a  watery  grave  or  what  might 
be  worse,  death  from  starvation. 

Though  weak  from  exposure  and  long  absti- 
nence from  food  and  from  loss  of  sleep,  all  ex- 
cept Col.  Higsbee  were  able  to  put  forth  the 
necessary  physical  exertion  to  transfer  them- 
selves to  the  boat  sent  to  convey  them  to  the 
ship.     The     Colonel's    physical    strength,    had, 


44  HENRY   ASHTON 

since  the  disaster  to  the  Osceola,  gradually  and 
steadily  failed.  He  was  advanced  in  years,  of 
delicate  constitution,  and  was  still  suffering 
from  the  effects  of  an  old  army  wound.  He 
had  almost  ceaselessly  bemoaned  the  cruel  fate 
which  had  separated  him  from  his  wife  and 
daughter,  and  he  alternated  between  grief  be- 
cause of  the  separation,  and  fear  that  they  were 
lost.  Henry  Ashton  was  untiring  in  his  endeav- 
ors to  inspire  him  with  hope  that  he  would  meet 
and  greet  them  again.  He  assured  the  Colonel 
and  reassured  him  that  Mrs.  Higsbee  and  Lilly 
had  been  safely  placed  in  the  first  small  boat 
that  shoved  off  from  the  Osceola;  he  had  him- 
self assisted  them  and  saw  them  seated  in  the 
boat.  The  storm  had  not  lasted  long,  and  at 
the  time  of  the  sinking  of  the  ship  had  consid- 
erably abated  in  fury.  One  or  two  experi- 
enced seamen  had  gone  in  that  boat ;  the  craft, 
itself,  was  a  good  one. 

"There  are  many  good  reasons,"  said  Ash- 
ton, "for  the  belief  that  the  ladies  are  safe,  and 
had  ere  this,  been  rescued."  But  the  Colonel 
sighed  deeply  and  could  not  be  comforted;  he 
had  little  or  no  hope  that  he  would  ever  behold 
them  again. 

Col.  Higsbee  found  when  it  came  his  turn  to 
step  into  the  skiff  sent  out  by  the  Roswell,  that 
his  limbs  were  swollen  and  stiffened  and  that  it 
was  with  pain  and  difficulty  that  he  could  move 
at  all,  but  through  the  kindly  assistance  of  Ash- 
ton, and  without  serious  annoyance  or  delay,  he 
was  safely  seated  in  the  boat  and  was  moving 
rapidly  toward  the  great  ship.  As  the  skiff 
came  alone:  side  of  the  Roswell  a  ladder  was  let 


HENRY   ASHTON  46 

down  from  the  deck  on  which  the  passengers 
ascended,  one  by  one,  to  the  floor  above;  the 
Colonel  and  Mr.  Ashton  remaining  till  the  last. 
"Now,  Colonel,"  said  Ashton,  "you  go  next 
and  I  will  support  the  lower  end  of  the  ladder." 
In  obedience  to  this  instruction  the  old  gentle- 
man laboriously  and  painfully  began  the  ascent. 
He  had  succeeded  in  attaining  to  about  half  the 
distance  when,  missing  his  intended  grasp  of 
the  rung  above,  owing  to  a  lurch  of  the  skiff, 
he  suddenly  turned  partly  around,  lost  his 
foothold  below,  and  toppled  off  into  the  sea 
between  the  boat  and  the  steamer,  and  in  a  brief 
moment  disappeared  from  sight.  For  an  in- 
stant Henry  Ashton  looked  horrified ;  but  he 
stood  motionless  for  a  few  seconds  only,  then 
quick  as  a  flash,  he  threw  his  coat  from  his 
shoulders,  flung  his  cap  from  him  and  after  one 
or  two  swift  strides,  plunged  into  the  water 
from  the  stern,  that  being  nearest  to  the  spot 
where  the  Colonel  went  down.  He  was  an  ex- 
pert at  swimming.  Rapidly  turning  himself 
in  the  water,  and  after  a  few  strokes  with  his 
hands,  he  came  to  almost  the  exact  place  where 
Col.  Higsbee  disappeared.  He  knew  that  there 
was  a  probability  that  the  drowning  man  might 
rise  to  the  surface  before  life  became  extinct. 
His  chief  fear  was  that  the  Colonel  might,  be- 
cause of  the  swift  current,  pass  under  the  ship ; 
he  hesitated  a  moment  looking  intently  into  the 
waters  below  and  about  him.  Concluding  that 
his  fears  that  the  body  had  passed  under  the 
ship  were  well  founded,  he  quickly  inflated  his 
lungs  with  air,  dived  under  the  steamer  and 
disappeared.     The  accident  had  been  witnessed 


46  HENRY    ASHTON 

by  many  on  deck  who  also  observed  the  action 
of  Ashton.  All  had  taken  place  so  quickly  that 
the  spectators  had  done  nothing  but  give  ut- 
terance to  exclamations  of  horror.  But  a  few 
minutes  had  elapsed,  however,  when  Ashton  was 
seen  coming  from  under  the  curve  of  the 
steamer  bearing  the  limp  and  apparently  life- 
less body  of  the  Colonel.  Keeping  himself  and 
the  body  afloat  by  vigorous  action  of  hand  and 
feet,  he  cried :  "Throw  me  a  rope !  Throw  a 
rope  ;  quick — be  quick !" 

Not  many  seconds  had  passed  before  a  stal- 
wart sailor  rushed  to  the  railing  with  a  coil  of 
rope  one  end  of  which  he  flung  with  precision  to 
a  spot  within  easy  reaching  distance  of  the  man 
who  had  risked  his  own  life  in  the  effort  to  save 
his  friend.  Ashton  reached  for  the  line,  and 
with  dexterous  motions,  soon  had  it  wound  and 
knotted  about  the  Colonel  while  he  held  his 
head  above  the  water. 

"Now  draw  him  up  on  deck  and  be  careful," 
next  cried  Ashton.  This  was  promptly  done 
while  Ashton  steadied  the  body  as  he  himself  as- 
cended the  ladder. 

The  physician  of  the  ship,  Dr.  Logan,  was 
summoned  and  immediate  efforts  for  the  resus- 
citation of  the  unfortunate  man  commenced. 
For  more  than  an  hour  his  life  hung  as  in  a 
balance  and  had  Dr.  Logan  and  Henry  Ashton 
acted  upon  the  advice  of  several  of  the  specta- 
tors, their  efforts  to  bring  him  back  to  life  would 
have  been  abandoned.  But  these  two  persisted, 
and  when  they  too  were  about  to  cease  further 
efforts,  and  the  doctor  was  applying  his  final 


HENRY   ASHTON  47 

test,  his  face  brightened,  and  turning  to  Ash- 
ton,  said: 

"Your  friend  will  live."  He  was  removed  to 
a  state  room  where  for  several  hours  longer 
the  effort  of  resuscitation  was  continued. 

The  patient  improved  slowly.  Several  days 
elapsed  ere  he  could  speak  above  a  faint  whis- 
per, and  even  then  he  could  utter  but  a  few 
audible  words.  Henry  Ashton  was  his  almost 
constant  companion ;  he  anticipated  all  his  de- 
sires ;  he  personally  attended  to  the  proper  exe- 
cution of  the  doctor's  instructions,  and  as  he 
became  convalescent  he  talked  to  him,  read  to 
him  and  pictured  to  him  the  happy,  joyful  re- 
union with  his  wife  and  daughter  which  was  to 
be  one  of  the  glorious  events  that  was  certain 
to  come  in  the  not  far  distant  future. 

"For,"  said  Ashton  to  the  Colonel,  "while  it 
is  true  that  the  Roswell  is  bound  for  China,  yet 
it  will  not  require  a  long  time  to  make  the  trip 
to  Hong  Kong  and  then  Colonel,  you  will  be 
quite  well  and  strong,  and  we  will  take  the  first 
steamer  bound  for  the  United  States  where  I 
have  no  doubt  we  will  soon  meet  Mrs.  Higsbee 
and  Lilly,  for  I  feel  sure  they  are  safe  in  Cali- 
fornia." 

On  the  day  following  the  one  on  which  the 
accident  befell  Col.  Higsbee,  the  lookout  on 
board  the  Roswell  called  the  attention  of  the 
Captain  to  what  appeared  to  be  a  small  boat 
flying  a  signal  two  or  three  miles  distant.  Bring- 
ing his  glass  to  his  eyes  that  officer  ejaculated: 

"Yes,  sure  enough,  there  is  a  small  craft  con- 
taining four  or  five  persons  and  they  are  seem- 
insrlv  trvine  to  attract  our  attention." 


48  HENRY    ASHTON 

Upon  making  this  discovery  the  Captain  gave 
orders  to  change  the  course  of  the  steamer,  and 
proceed  in  the  direction  of  the  boat.  It  re- 
quired but  a  short  time  in  which  to  bring  the 
ship  near  the  party  who  were  by  signals  mak- 
ing dear  their  desire  to  be  rescued. 

Coming  within  hailing  distance,  the  Captain 
spoke  to  the  occupants  of  the  small  boat,  tell- 
ing them  to  come  alongside  the  ship.  This 
they  did  and  when  near  enough  to  be  heard 
one  who  seemed  to  be  the  spokesman  for  the 
party,  cried: 

"We  are  survivors  of  the  wrecked  Osceola ; 
for  God's  sake  take  us  on  board." 

"Come  up  alongside  then,"  replied  Captain 
Jones. 

Though  nearly  exhausted  from  exposure 
and  fatigue,  the  men  handling  the  oars  in  the 
small  craft,  quickly  shot  their  boat  to  the  place 
designated,  and  within  half  an  hour  from  the 
time  they  were  first  seen  by  the  look-out  they 
were  safely  on  board  the  staunch  steamer  Ros- 
well.  Like  the  other  castaways  from  the  Osce- 
ola rescued  the  day  before,  they  were  cold,  and 
wet,  and  hungry,  and  their  reception  was  as 
hearty  and  kind  as  that  accorded  to  their  fellow- 
sufferers.  Among  these  latter  rescued  was 
Lawyer  Batty.  The  meeting  of  Batty  and  Ash- 
ton  was  a  happy  one.  Each  wrung  the  hands  of 
the  other  long  and  vigorously.  Each  congrat- 
ulated the  other  on  his  rescue;  each  manifested 
almost  a  brotherly  attachment  for  the  other,  for 
while  they  differed  on  religious,  on  political,  on 
social  and  other  subjects,  yet  they  each  had  a 
high  regard  for  the  other,  because  each  recog- 


HENRY   ASHTON  49 

nized  in  the  other,  honesty  of  purpose,  and  each 
knew  the  other's  good  habits  and  irreproachable 
moral  character.  While  the  other  rescued  pas- 
sengers were  being  looked  after  by  the  officers 
and  assistants  of  the  ship,  Ashton  quickly  con- 
ducted Mr.  Batty  to  his  room  and  administered 
to  his  pressing  wants.  As  he  spread  food  before 
his  friend,  and  dry  clothing,  he  narrated,  in  an- 
swer to  Batty's  rapidly  propounded  questions 
how  Col.  Higsbee  and  the  others,  and  himself, 
were  saved,  how  the  Colonel  had  fallen  over- 
board, and  how  he  was  now  convalescing,  and 
they  knew  nothing  of  the  fate  of  Mrs.  Higsbee 
and  Lilly,  Tow  Lawson  or  the  others,  in  the 
other  two  small  boats. 

After  Mr.  Batty  had  plied  many  questions, 
and  had  received  such  information  as  was  in 
the  power  of  Ashton  to  impart,  and  had  him- 
self answered  his  friend's  inquiries,  and  had 
eaten  all  that  prudence  would  allow,  and  had 
had  a  change  of  raiment,  he  slept  long  and 
soundly,  and  awakened  the  following  morning 
with  greatly  renewed  strength  and  in  a  cheer- 
ful mood.  Without  delay  he  hastened  to  see 
Col.  Higsbee,  and  to  converse  with  him  the 
time  allotted  for  the  interview  by  Dr.  Logan. 
Having  in  mind  the  suggestion  of  Ashton,  he 
encouraged  the  Colonel  by  expressing  the  opin- 
ion that  there  could  be  little  or  no  doubt  but 
that  Mrs.  Higsbee  and  Lilly  were  rescued  and 
were  now  safe  in  San  Francisco. 

"There  are  many  good  reasons  for  so  think- 
ing," said  Batty,  "and  it  is  only  a  matter  of  a 
few  weeks  when  you  will  be  reunited  as  a  fam- 
ily." 


50  HENRY   ASHTON 


CHAPTER  VI. 

LAST  WILL  AND  TESTAMENT  OF  COL.   HIGSBEE. 

A  week  had  now  passed  since  the  accident 
to  Col.  Higsbee,  and  while  Ashton  and  Batty 
every  day,  and  several  times  each  day,  congrat- 
ulated the  Colonel  on  his  improvement,  yet  he 
was  very  weak  and  much  of  the  time  melancholy 
over  the  separation  from  his  loved  ones,  and  was 
profoundly  anxious  as  to  their  fate. 

One  day  during  the  absence  of  Ashton  and 
Batty  from  the  room,  the  Colonel  said  to  Dr. 
Logan :  "Doctor,  please  narrate  to  me  the  par- 
ticulars of  the  accident  that  befell  me.  They 
are  not  very  distinct  in  my  mind."  Where- 
upon the  doctor  complied  with  his  patient's  re- 
quest, explaining  every  thing  in  detail.  He  es- 
pecially praised  Henry  Ashton  for  his  heroism 
in  plunging  into  the  sea  and  saving  the  life  of 
the  Colonel  and  spoke  most  enthusiastically  of 
his  devotion  to  the  invalid  ever  since. 

"I  do  not  know,"  said  Dr.  Logan,  "the  rela- 
tionship existing  between  you  and  Mr.  Ashton, 
but  I  have  carefully  observed  the  actions  of  the 
young  man,  and  have  studied  his  face  well,  and 
I  have  come  to  have  the  highest  possible  respect 
for  him.  I  think  he  is  a  brave,  noble,  honorable 
man,  Colonel." 

"Yes,  yes,"  responded  Col.  Higsbee.  "He  has 
proven  to  be  a  good,  true  friend  of  mine.  Once 
I  did  not  appreciate  his  real  worth ;  I  do  now." 

A  few  davs  later  Colonel   Higsbee,   after  a 


HENRY    ASHTON  51 

little  physical  exertion  gave  utterance  to  a  sup- 
pressed cry  of  distress,  and  when  interrogated 
as  to  the  cause,  replied  that  he  had  been  stricken 
by  a  severe  pain  in  the  region  of  his  back.  The 
doctor  gave  him  a  critical  examination  and  at 
its  conclusion  suggestively  shook  his  head.  This 
was  observed  by  Mr.  Ashton,  who  later,  ques- 
tioned the  medical  man  as  to  the  cause  of  the 
new  symptoms.     The  physician  replied: 

"Mr.  Ashton,  I  regret  to  say  your  friend  is 
in  a  precarious  condition.  I  observe  from  a 
careful  diagnosis  of  the  case,  that  the  elderly 
gentleman  has  a  complication  of  diseases.  Some 
of  his  internal  organs  have  apparently  long  been 
diseased  and  he  has,  for  many  years,  been  suf- 
fering from  an  old  wound.  These  with  the  late 
exposures  he  has  passed  through  would  most 
surely  have  soon  prostrated  him  had  no  accident 
befallen  him.  Now  reinforce  all  these  ailments 
by  a  plunge  into  the  sea  and  you  have  a  serious 
case  indeed.  It  is  marvelous  that  your  friend 
is  alive  at  all.  I  have  fears  of  a  relapse  and  if 
that  comes  as  there  are  decided  indications  that 
it  may,  there  will  be  slender  hope  for  his  re- 
covery. I  advise  you  to  prepare  yourself  for 
the  worst." 

It  was  as  the  doctor  had  feared.  In  addition 
to  his  physical  afflictions  Col.  Higsbee's  mind 
was  painfully  agitated  over  the  separation 
from  his  wife  and  daughter,  and  the  thought 
that  they  had  been  lost.  He  was  most  of  the 
time  inconsolable.  His  symptoms  steadily  grew 
more  and  more  alarming,  and  it  was  evident 
to  his  attendants  that  his  strength  was  giving 
away  and  he  was  rapidly  failing.     This  the  Col- 


52  HENRY    ASHTON 

onel  himself  seemed  to  understand.  The  morn- 
ing after  the  conversation  mentioned  that  took 
place  between  Ashton  and  the  doctor,  the  Col- 
onel after  a  protracted  silence  beckoned  to  Dr. 
Logan  to  come  nearer,  and  then  said: 

"Doctor,  do  not  give  me  any  more  medicine. 
It  will  do  me  no  good.  I  am  going  to  die. 
This  I  know,  for  last  night  I  had  a  vision,  or  a 
dream,  in  which  my  angelic  mother  appeared 
to  me  and  said :  'My  dear  son,  your  earthly  ca- 
reer is  nearly  closed.  You  will  soon  pass  over 
to  us.  Arrange  your  earthly  affairs  and  pre- 
pare for  the  change.  Be  brave,  be  of  good 
cheer ;  I  shall  with  many  others  of  your  departed 
loved  ones  be  present  at  your  new  birth,  and 
will  extend  to  you  a  joyful  welcome  to  the  land 
where  sickness  and  accidents  and  death  do  not 
occur.' 

"Then  with  an  angelic  smile,  and  with  out- 
stretched arms  as  if  to  embrace  me,  she  van- 
ished. 

"I  know,  doctor,  that  this  was  no  hallucina- 
tion. It  was  not  a  disordered  fancy ;  it  was  a 
true,  a  glorious  reality.  I  am  going  to  pass 
away ;  I  have  no  fear ;  I  am  anxious  to  go. 
Please  call  Henry  Ashton,  and  Mr.  Batty,  and 
Captain  Jones.     I  desire  their  presence." 

The  parties  designated  were  soon  at  the  bed- 
side of  the  dying  man. 

"Mr.  Batty,"  said  the  Colonel,  "get  paper 
and  ink  and  pen."  The  writing  materials  be- 
ing procured,  the  Colonel  continued:  "Now 
write  down  my  words:" 

LAST    WILL   AND   TESTAMENT. 

"I,  James  Higsbee,  of  Melbourne,  Australia, 


HENRY   ASHTON  58 

being  of  sound  mind  and  in  view  of  approaching 
dissolution,  do  make  and  publish  this  my  last 
will  and  testament,  revoking  all  others.  I  give 
and  bequeath  to  my  beloved  wife,  Mary  Higs- 
bee,  my  residence  property,  also  my  brick  bus- 
iness block,  also  the  St.  James  Hotel  property, 
each  situated  in  the  city  of  Melbourne,  Aus- 
tralia; also  one-half  of  $500,000  consisting  of 
money,  bonds  of  Australia,  and  of  the  United 
States  of  America,  and  stocks  in  the  bank  of 
Australia;  also  all  of  my  chattel  property  and 
personal  effects  other  than  those  hereinafter 
named.  To  my  loving  daughter,  Lilly  Higs- 
bee,  I  give  and  bequeath  my  undivided  half 
interest  in  the  steamer,  'The  Prince,'  also  20,- 
000  acres  of  real  estate  with  the  appurtenances 
thereto  belonging,  situated  in  the  island  of  Zan- 
land;  also  10,000  acres  of  land  located  in  York 
county,  Australia;  also  1,000  acres  of  real  estate 
in  Douglas  county,  State  of  Nebraska,  U.  S.  A. ; 
also  one-half  of  the  $500,000  consisting  of 
money,  bonds,  and  bank  stocks  hereinbefore 
mentioned. 

"In  the  event  that  neither  my  wife  nor  daugh- 
ter are  living  at  the  date  of  the  execution  of 
this,  my  last  will  and  testament,  then  (that  fact 
having  been  proven)  I  give  and  bequeath  the 
entire  amount  of  my  property,  both  real  and 
personal,  to  Henry  Ashton,  of  Melbourne,  who 
bravely  risked  his  own  life  to  save  mine. 

"I  hereby  appoint  as  my  legal  executors  of 
this,  my  last  will  and  testament,  Henry  Ash- 
ton and  George  Batty,  and  order  that  no  official 
bonds  shall  be  required  of  them. 

"Knowing  of  the  engagement  of  my  beloved 


54  HENRY.    ASHTON 

daughter  Lilly  to  Henry  Ashton,  I  hereby  most 
cheerfully  consent  to  their  marriage,  and  I  in- 
voke the  blessing  of  God  upon  them." 

Col.  Higsbee  had  summoned  all  his  failing 
strength  to  dictate  his  will  which  he  did  in 
broken  sentences,  and  after  long  pauses,  and 
when  it  was  finished  he  asked  that  the  instru- 
ment be  presented  to  him  for  his  signature. 
The  pen  was  placed  in  his  hand  and  the  paper 
held  in  proper  position  when  the  dying  man, 
after  a  painful  effort,  succeeded  in  affixing  his 
signature,  "James  Higsbee,"  to  the  writing. 
The  instrument  was  also  signed  at  his  request, 
by  Captain  Theodore  Jones,  Dr.  Wm.  Logan, 
and  George  Batty,  as  witnesses ;  and  Mr.  Batty 
was  designated  as  custodian  of  the  valuable  legal 
document.  In  a  whisper  that  was  scarcely  au- 
dible the  Colonel  requested  Dr.  Logan  to  invite 
all  to  withdraw  from  the  room  except  Mr.  Ash- 
ton. After  his  request  had  been  complied  with 
he  feebly  extended  his  hand  to  Ashton  and  sig- 
nified his  desire  to  speak.  Ashton  bent  low  that 
he  might  catch  the  words  of  the  rapidly  sinking 
man.     The  Colonel  said: 

"My  dear  son,  I  most  sincerely  and  gratefully 
thank  you  for  your  great  kindness  done  me.  Once 
I  did  not  appreciate  your  real  worth.  I  now 
know  you  to  be  an  unselfish,  noble  young  man. 
I  have  learned  to  love  you  as  a  son.  My  dying 
request  is  that  you  seek  diligently  for  my 
daughter,  Lilly,  and  if  she  is  yet  alive  and  you 
can  find  her,  that  you  carry  to  her  this,  my  last 
message:  "God  bless  you,  dear  Lilly,  you 
knew  Henry  Ashton  better  than  I  did.  You 
have  consented  to  be  his  life  companion  because 


HENRY    ASHTON  55 

you  love  him.  He  is  worthy  of  you,  you  have 
my  consent  to  become  his  wife  and  may  the 
blessings  of  God  and  of  his  holy  angels  rest  upon 
you  both." 

The  effort  had  completely  exhausted  the 
strength  of  the  stricken  man.  x\shton  gently 
assisted  him  in  resuming  his  former  position. 
Not  another  word  was  spoken.  While  clasping 
the  hand  of  his  friend  he  closed  his  eyes,  his 
breathing  became  more  and  more  labored ;  he 
gasped;  a  slight  shudder  ran  through  his  body, 
and  he  was  gone. 

Henry  Ashton  and  George  Batty  mourned 
sincerely  over  the  death  of  Col.  Higsbee.  They 
had  thought  to  embalm  the  body  and  when  they 
reached  Hong  Kong  to  reship  it  to  Melbourne, 
but  on  inquiring  of  Capt.  Jones,  they  found  to 
their  great  regret,  that  the  ship  was  not  pre- 
pared to  execute  such  service  to  the  dead.  The 
rules  of  the  steamer  required  burial  in  the  sea 
within  three  days  after  the  death  of  a  person 
on  board.  All  that  remained  of  Col.  James 
Higsbee  was  therefore,  on  the  morning  of  the 
third  day  after  his  demise,  with  appropriate  and 
impressive  ceremonies  solemnly  consigned  to 
the  keeping  of  the  mighty  Pacific  ocean. 


56  HENRY   ASHTON 


CHAPTER  VII. 

SPIRITED  DEBATE  BETWEEN    LAWYER   BATTY,   INFI- 
DEL, AND  ENGINEER  ASHTON,  CHRIS- 
TIAN  SOCIALIST. 

A  day  or  two  after  the  funeral,  as  Ashton  and 
Batty  were  sitting  on  deck  conversing  about 
the  thrilling  events  that  had  transpired  during 
the  past  few  weeks,  the  lawyer  turned  to  his 
companion  and  said : 

"Friend  Ashton,  I  have  been  thinking  how 
inexpressibly  sad  is  all  this.  This  life  is  filled 
with  disappointments  and  pain  and  misery.  At 
the  very  hour  of  our  birth  trouble  begins.  If 
we  escape  fatal  diseases  and  accidents  incident 
to  childhood,  and  grow  to  maturity  we  experi- 
ence more  pain  than  pleasure ;  more  failures 
than  successes ;  more  reverses  than  triumphs, 
and  death  and  separation  from  loved  ones, 
sooner  or  later  overtakes  us.  The  more  closely 
I  study  the  problem  of  life  the  more  pessimis- 
tic I  grow.  Religion,  I  am  convinced,  is  a 
delusion,  and  life  is  really  not  worth  the  living. 
I  am  coming  to  think,  Brother  Ashton,  that 
death  ends  all,  or,  if  we  do  exist  beyond  the 
grave,  our  personality  will  have  been  extin- 
guished and  our  so-called  souls  or  minds,  will 
have  been  absorbed  by  the  universal  soul,  or 
mind,  as  our  bodies  are  absorbed  by  mother 
earth.  I  am  aware  that  good  men  for  thou- 
sands of  years  have  thought  differently.  They 
have  told  us  of  God,  and  the  immortality  of  the 


HENRY    ASHTON  57 

soul,  and  that  the  Bible  is  divinely  inspired  and 
is  infallible,  but  what  do  they  know  about  these 
things?  Nothing,  absolutely  nothing.  They 
have  not  seen  God ;  no  spirits  of  dead  people 
have  ever  returned,  and  as  for  their  infallible 
Bible,  all  well  informed  persons  know  it  abounds 
in  contradictions,  is  ignorant  of  science,  is  often 
false  historically,  and  is  composed  of  a  collection 
of  ancient  writings  of  men  who  lived  in  differ- 
ent ages  of  the  world,  many  of  them  supersti- 
tious and  ignorant.  These  writings  were  gath- 
ered together  by  conventions  or  councils  of  men 
who  made  no  claim  to  inspiration  and  put  into 
a  book  which  we  call  the  Bible.  As  to  Jesus. 
Although  books  were  written  in  the  age  in 
which  he  lived  and  records  of  important  events 
were  kept,  yet  Jesus  wrote  nothing,  nor  did 
he  make  any  provision  for  any  record  to  be 
made  of  his  sayings  or  doings.  All  that  we 
know  about  his  life  and  teachings  is  based  on 
legendary  and  hearsay  evidence,  not  reduced 
to  writing  for  several  generations  after  his 
death.  Many  of  the  writings  purporting  to  give 
a  true  account  of  the  life  of  Christ,  once  believed 
to  be  a  part  of  the  sacred  Scriptures,  are  now  re- 
jected and  the  correctness  and  authenticity  of 
a  considerable  portion  of  what  remains  is  stren- 
uously questioned  by  many  scholars  to-day. 
Terrible  wars  have  been  waged  and  rivers  of 
blood  have  been  shed  over  disputes  between  con- 
tending factions,  each  claiming  to  be  the  true 
disciples  of  Christ.  If  judged  by  their  deeds  I 
would  say  that  professing  Christians  have  been 
the  most  cruel,  fanatical  and  blood-thirsty  of 
all  religious  sects.     They  have  for  two  thou- 


58  HENRY    ASHTON 

sand  years  persecuted  the  Jews  with  a  relent- 
less and  fiendish  persecution,  and  fought  each 
other  like  tigers  and  have  slaughtered  their 
millions.  They  have  for  mere  differences  of 
opinion  as  to  the  teachings  of  their  infallible 
book  cast  their  fellowmen  into  dungeons,  burned 
them  at  the  stake,  bored  holes  through  their 
tongues,  gouged  out  their  eyes,  torn  the  body 
into  fragments,  racked  and  imprisoned  them  and 
inflicted  all  manner  of  horrible  tortures.  They 
have  persecuted  with  death  inventors  and 
discoverers,  opposed  science,  hung  ignorant 
old  women  as  witches,  and  enslaved  mil- 
lions of  negroes  whose  ancestors  they  believed 
had  been  cursed  of  God  and  doomed  to  eternal 
slavery  because  a  drunken  Noah  had  cursed  his 
own  son  for  being  more  modest  and  decent  than 
himself.  All  this,  and  more,  was  done  on  the  au- 
thority of  the  Bible,  and  in  the  name  of  the  holy 
Christian  religion.  Do  you  say  that  all  these 
crimes  were  committed  in  an  ignorant  age,  and 
that  the  present-day  Christians  would  not  com- 
mit such  atrocities  ?  I  admit  that  the  average  in- 
dividual Christian  is  kindlier  and  less  fanatical 
than  those  of  a  century  ago,  but  I  contend  that 
we  are  indebted  for  such  improvement  to  liberal 
thinking  reformers,  who  were  always  denounced 
by  the  church  as  infidels,  but  even  now  every 
Christian  Nation  is  armed  to  the  teeth  and  stands 
ready  to  spring  upon  and  destroy  each  other.  But 
a  short  time  ago  Christian  England  overran  the 
Transvaal,  murdered  the  Christian  Boer,  burned 
his  home,  devastated  his  fields,  and  hunted  him  to 
his  death  as  though  he  were  a  savage  wild  beast. 
Protestant  Christian  Americans  pursued  a  like 


HENRY   ASHTON  59 

course  in  dealing  with  their  Catholic  Christian 
brothers,  the  Filipinos.  There  is  not  a  Christian 
nation  on  earth  to-day  which  does  not  confer 
greater  honors  on  the  successful  killer  of  his  fel- 
lows than  it  does  upon  its  philanthropists,  invent- 
ors and  peacemakers.  No,  friend  Ashton,  I  can- 
not accept  Christianity  as  it  has  been  taught  and 
practiced.  I  would  like  to  believe  in  a  future  state 
of  conscious  existence,  but  as  a  lawyer  I  must 
have  better  evidence  that  there  is  such  a  state  than 
the  unsupported  statements  of  the  Bible  or  the 
clergy." 

At  this  the  lawyer  paused,  when  his  companion 
replied    : 

"While  I  commend  your  earnestness,  Friend 
Eatty,  acknowledge  your  honesty  of  purpose,  and 
admire  your  ability,  I  must  oppose  your  main  ar- 
gument, and  decline  to  coincide  with  your  conclu- 
sions. I  quite  agree  with  you  that  the  Bible  had 
its  origin  in  the  way  you  have  stated,  and  that  it 
is  not  free  from  all  error ;  but  while  I  admit  that 
I  contend  that  it  contains  much  wisdom  and  truth, 
and  is  altogether  a  wonderful  and  invaluable  col- 
lection of  writings.  I  do  not  say  as  do  some,  that 
it  is  all — every  word — an  inspired  revelation  to 
the  world,  but  I  do  maintain  that  the  Bible  con- 
tains an  inspired  revelation.  Much  of  it  is  alle- 
gorical and  has  in  the  past  been  misunderstood. 
Other  portions  are  historical  or  an  account  of  the 
doings  of  ancient  peoples.  I  am  not  surprised 
that  you  and  Colonel  Ingersoll,  whom  you  so 
greatly  admire,  cannot  believe  in  the  existence  of 
such  a  God  as  the  ancients  feared  and  worshipped, 
but,  dear  Batty,  intelligent  Christians  of  the  pres- 
ent dav  do  not  think  of  the  Deitv  as  did  the  an- 


60  HENRY    ASHTON 

cients.  They  worshipped  God  through  fear.  We 
worship  him  because  we  regard  Him  as  a  being 
of  infinite  love.  It  is,  however,  to  the  credit  of 
the  ancients  that  they  believed  that  there  existed 
an  invisible,  intelligent  power  wiser  than  them- 
selves. They  saw  the  sun,  the  moon,  the  stars ; 
they  beheld  the  wonderful  and  orderly  operation 
of  nature's  forces  and  they  wisely  reasoned  that 
these  things  were  the  effects  of  some  antecedent 
cause.  They  reasoned  more  logically  than  some 
of  our  modern  philosophers,  who  advance  the 
theory  that  'all  life  is  produced  by  spontaneous 
generation' — 'that  the  brain  generates  thought  as 
the  liver  secretes  bile.' 

"The  ancients,  although  ignorant  of  science  and 
holding  low  ideals  as  to  the  attributes  of  God, 
clearly  perceived  that  'out  of  nothing,  nothing 
comes." 

"Now  I  beg  your  pardon,  Batty,  but  I  must  be 
frank  with  you  when  I  say  that  the  modern  Athe- 
ist is  not  a  profound  and  logical  thinker.  If  he 
were  he  would  easily  perceive  that  back  of  all  liv- 
ing things  were  generations  of  other  living  things. 
The  Atheist  is  forced  back,  back,  back  to  the  first 
cause,  and  he  cannot  account  for  that  first  cause 
except  by  the  illogical  assumption  that  the  first 
cause  of  all  living  things  was  'spontaneous  gen- 
eration'— was  chance — pure  accident.  The  Chris- 
tian philosopher  contends  that  the  first  cause  is 
intelligent  force,  infinite  power,  infinite  intelli- 
gence, universal  spirit,  omnipotent,  omnipresent, 
omnicient,  from  everlasting  to  everlasting — that 
is  over  all  in  all,  is  all — is  God.  Jesus  said  "God 
is  spirit,"  not  a  spirit. 

"It  appears  that  in  every  age  of  the  world  men 


HENRY   ASHTON  61 

and  women  of  every  race  and  every  condition  of 
mental  unfoldment  have  believed  that  there  exist- 
ed an  intelligent,  invisible  power  greater  than 
themselves.  The  inclination  to  so  believe  is  a  part 
of  man's  being.  Phrenology  teaches  that  man  has 
an  organ  of  the  brain  which  it  has  named  Venera- 
tion, and  its  legitimate  function  is  to  reverence  a 
higher  power.  It  prompts  us  to  adore  something 
higher  and  wiser  than  ourselves.  It  is  therefore 
as  reasonable  to  believe  that  such  organ  is  as  es- 
sential to  our  well-being  as  is  our  heart,  or  lungs, 
or  reasoning  faculties.  We  would  not  have  been 
endowed  with  an  organ  of  Veneration  if  there  had 
been  nothing  to  venerate.  When  legitimately  ex- 
ercised the  organ  of  Veneration  gives  us  grand 
and  ennobling  conceptions  of  Deity;  if  wrongly 
directed  we  may  be  led  to  worship  the  sun,  the 
moon,  or  some  material  substance.  I  do  not  con- 
ceive of  God,  or  universal  spirit,  as  did  the  an- 
cients. Their  organ  of  veneration  prompted  them 
to  worship,  but  their  reasoning  faculties,  not  be- 
ing so  enlightened  as  are  those  of  the  people  of 
this  day,  they  attributed  to  God  many  attributes 
that  he  could  not  possess.  In  their  writings  they 
gave  us  the  best  definitions  they  knew,  but  they 
thought  and  wrote  in  the  infancy  of  the  race.  We 
have  in  this  age  broader,  juster  loftier  conceptions 
of  God  than  they.  It  is  true  that  some  of  our  re- 
ligious teachers  insist  on  going  back  to  an  ignor- 
ant age  of  the  world  for  their  definitions  of  God, 
and  accept  and  teach  ancient  religious  dogmas 
and  creeds  as  infallible,  but  the  more  intelligent 
teachers  of  this  day  do  not  present  to  us  a  God 
of  jealousy,  and  hate,  and  vengeance,  as  did  those 
of  old.    Now  we  are  told  that  God  is  love,  is  life 


62  HENRY    ASHTON 

— is  the  sum  total  of  all  things  visible  and  invisi- 
ble, that  in  Him  we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our 
being — that  we  are  ourselves  a  part  of  God — that 
we  are  in  essence  ourselves  God. 

"Now  as  to  Jesus :  Whether  you  admit  he  was 
or  was  not  divine,  you  must  acknowledge  that  his 
reputed  life  was  blameless  and  his  teachings  both 
wise  and  good.  Can  you  conceive  of  a  sermon 
that  contains  more  wisdom  and  higher  ideals  than 
that  of  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  ?  I  do  not  con- 
tend that  Jesus  was  the  Supreme  God,  and  that 
beside  him  there  was  none  other,  but  I  do  main- 
tain that  he  was  the  Son  of  God.  Jesus  was  di- 
vine and  so  is  every  other  man,  woman  and  child 
in  that  we  are  all  the  children  of  God,  are  a  part 
of  God  and  cannot  be  forever  separated  from 
him.  Jesus  was  unfolded.  We  are  not.  The  bud 
contains  all  the  possibilities  of  a  rose  and  in  due 
time  will  be  a  rose,  but  as  buds  they  do  not  shed 
the  fragrance  of  the  full  blown  rose.  Men,  ig- 
norant men,  sinful  men,  have  the  possibilities  of 
gods.  They  are  buds  now ;  they  will  be  gods 
some  time. 

"You  say,  friend  Batty,  that  professing  Chris- 
tians have  bitterly  disputed  over  theological  dog- 
mas and  have  shed  rivers  of  blood.  Yes,  that  is 
true,  but  there  was  nothing  in  the  teachings  of 
the  gentle  Nazarene  to  cause  such  anti-Christian 
conduct.  Happily  in  this  day  the  disputes  over  the 
mooted  theological  dogmas  have  largely  subsided, 
and  the  truly  Christian  teachers  are  now  preach- 
ing love  to  God  and  love  to  man.  There  has  been 
a  general  revolt  against  the  gloomy  theology 
even  of  a  few  centuries  ago,  which  strove  to  move 
men  through  fear  alone.    Then  it  was  thundered 


HENRY   ASHTON  63 

into  the  ears  of  the  people  that  God  predestinated 
men  to  a  horrible  and  endless  hell ;  that  he 
damned  millions  before  they  were  born,  and 
hurled  little  non-elect  infants  into  a  bottomless 
pit,  there  to  suffer  and  wail  throughout  eternity. 
All  this  brand  of  preaching  has  been  happily 
abandoned,  and  now  the  supreme  importance  of 
building  up  a  good  character  and  living  a  Christ- 
like life,  is  the  theme  dwelt  upon  by  clergymen  of 
all  denominations.  And  here  let  me  say,  Brother 
Batty,  that  one  of  the  encouraging  signs  of  the 
times  is  that  many  of  the  abler  ministers  are  be- 
ginning to  preach  Socialism  because  they  have 
come  to  see  that  co-operation — brotherhood — is 
more  in  harmony  with  the  life  and  teachings  of 
Jesus  Christ  than  competition,  under  which  one 
man  can  succeed  only  by  exploiting  his  brother. 
These  religious  teachers  have  seen  that  the  appli- 
cation of  the  teachings  of  the  great  Teacher  are 
positively  impossible  under  a  competitive  system 
of  economics.  The  Golden  Rule  can  never  be  ap- 
plied so  long  as  that  system  prevails.  Competi- 
tion is  based  on  selfishness ;  it  appeals  to  man's 
baser  emotions ;  it  is  directly  opposed  to  every- 
thing that  Jesus  commanded.  Socialism,  which 
is  but  another  name  for  co-operation,  is  in  strict 
harmony  with  the  teachings  of  Him  who  taught 
as  never  man  taught.  I  fully  agree  with  you  that 
the  church  which  favors  war  except  in  self-de- 
fense, which  caters  to  the  rich,  the  powerful,  the 
proud,  the  selfish — the  church  that  sees  working 
people  systematically  exploited  without  protest, 
by  soulless  combinations  of  capital,  which  beholds 
millions  of  men,  women  and  children  suffering  for 
the  want  of  the  necessaries  of  life  because  of  the 


64  HENRY    ASHTON 

monopolistic  laws  and  unjust  customs,  and  does 
not  thunder  its  disapproval  of  these  monstrous 
wrongs — that  church  is  a  delusion  and  a  sham. 
Jesus  was  a  friend  of  the  poor,  the  homeless,  the 
landless,  the  friendless ;  he  sought  companionship 
with  that  class ;  he  profoundly  sympathized  with 
them;  he  it  was  who  denounced  the  rich  Pharisee 
and  drove  the  money-changers  from  the  temple; 
he  it  was  who  never  gave  utterance  to  other  than 
mild,  kind,  loving  and  sympathetic  words  except 
when  he  spoke  of  their  business  methods,  and 
then  his  utterances  of  denunciation  were  vehe- 
ment and  terrible. 

"I  deeply  regret,  friend  Batty,  your  doubts  as 
to  conscious  existence  of  man  after  so-called 
death.  The  Bible,  as  well  as  the  sacred  writings 
of  other  peoples,  abound  with  proof  of  the  im- 
mortality of  the  soul.  But  if  you  cannot  accept 
those  writings  as  furnishing  proof  of  the  fact  be- 
cause those  proofs  have  not  come  to  you  person- 
ally, why  not  give  credence  to  the  testimony  of 
thousands  of  witnesses  who  live  now  who  say 
they  know  their  departed  ones  still  live,  for  they 
see  them  with  clairvoyant  eye,  and  hear  them  with 
clairaudient  ear.  There  are  hundreds  of  intelli- 
gent, trustworthy  people,  many  of  them  distin- 
guished for  learning,  whose  probity  of  character 
none  would  question,  who  solemnly  declare  that 
either  through  the  powers  of  clairvoyance  or  clair- 
audience,  or  after  the  most  searching  investiga- 
tion of  the  powers  of  others,  they  know  as  certain- 
ly as  they  can  know  anything,  that  the  departed 
still  live  and  can,  under  proper  conditions,  com- 
municate their  thoughts  to  those  still  in  this  phy- 
sical body.     There  are  many  hundreds  of  thou- 


HENRY    ASHTON  65 

sands  of  men  and  women,  known  as  Spiritualists, 
many  of  whom  are  truthful,  reliable,  upright  peo- 
ple, who  steadfastly  maintain  that  they  are  in  pos- 
session of  this  positive  knowledge.  Among  the 
believers  in  Spiritualism  were  Victor  Hugo,  Al- 
fred R.  Wallace,  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  Prof. 
Elliott  Coues,  Camile  Fiammarion,  Elizabeth 
Stuart  Phelps,  Frances  P.  Willard,  Ella  Wheeler 
Wilcox,  Benjamin  F.  Wade,  Judge  Edmonds, 
Abraham  Lincoln,  Rev.  Minot  Savage,  Prof. 
Hyslop  and  scores  of  other  distinguished  persons. 
There  is  scarcely  a  city,  town  or  village  in  Eu- 
rope or  America,  where  one  or  more  medium-, 
may  not  be  found  who  profess  to  be  in  possession 
of  proof  positive  that  the  so-called  dead  live  and 
do  sometimes  communicate  with  those  on  this  side 
of  the  grave.  Committees  of  learned  men  have, 
after  the  most  patient  and  exhaustive  investiga- 
tion of  Spiritualism,  reported  that  much  marvel- 
ous phenomena  occurs,  and  that  they  can  account 
for  it  on  no  known  hypothesis  other  than  that  it  is 
caused  by  an  unseen  intelligence.  Many  dying 
persons  testify  that  their  spiritual  eyes  are  opened 
and  they  behold  their  spirit  friends. 

"But,  friend  Batty,  laying  aside  the  proofs  of 
the  Bible,  and  taking  no  account  of  Spiritualism, 
can  you  not  see  that  the  universe  would  be  a  co- 
lossal failure — a  stupendous  farce — if  so-called 
death  ended  man's  existence?  You  are  too  in- 
telligent to  say  that  the  billions  of  suns  and  plan- 
ets rushing  through  space  with  the  velocity  of  a 
cannonball,  separated  by  millions  of  miles,  all 
moving  with  precision  and  in  perfect  harmony 
one  with  another,  could  have  come  by  chance. 
You  will,  I  am  sure,  concede  that  there  is  over- 


66  HENRY   ASHTON 

whelming  evidence  above  us,  below  us,  around 
us,  and  in  us — aye,  in  every  hair  of  our  heads,  in 
every  drop  of  our  blood,  in  our  eyes,  and  ears, 
our  internal  organs,  in  our  every  part,  that  infinite 
wisdom  is  at  the  helm  of  things.  You  must  ad- 
mit that  our  minds — our  intelligence — is  still 
more  wonderful  than  our  physical  bodies.  We 
think,  we  reason,  we  remember,  we  love ;  we  en- 
joy the  beautiful ;  we  are  enraptured  by  music ;  we 
originate ;  we  plan ;  we  invent ;  we  have  intuition, 
likes  and  dislikes,  and,  unless  warped  or  twisted 
by  theological  dogmas,  or  are  thrown  off  our  bal- 
ance by  some  false  system  of  reasoning,  we  feel 
that  we — our  real  selves — are  something  more 
than  flesh  and  blood  and  bones,  and  that  we  shall 
never  be  obliterated.  Every  tribe,  kindred  and 
tongue  that  have  lived  in  all  the  past  have  believed 
that  they  would  live  after  death,  and  that  is  an  ar- 
gument of  great  force  that  they  shall  do  so,  for 
such  a  faith  is  implanted  in  our  very  being.  Friend 
Batty,  this  mortal  existence  is  but  the  starting 
place  of  conscious,  intelligent  beings ;  this  world 
is  the  vestibule,  the  kindergarten,  the  bottom  rung 
of  a  ladder  the  highest  rung  of  which  is  such  an 
inconceivable  distance  above  that  it  is  beyond — 
perhaps  infinitely  beyond  the  last  resting  place  of 
our  wildest  fancy.  We  shall  ascend  that  ladder, 
step  by  step,  rung  by  rung,  as  we  fit  ourselves  to 
ascend,  and  we  shall  have  all  eternity  in  which  to 
make  the  ascent.  We  can  no  more  die  than  can 
God,  for  we  are  a  part  of  God.  And  now  here  I 
anticipate  your  question,  for  you  would  ask  if  we 
are  to  live  forever,  then  have  we  not  always  ex- 
isted ?  My  answer  is  that  we  have  always  existed 
in  some  form,  or  in  many  forms,  but  never  as  a 


HENRY   ASHTON  67 

conscious  personality  till  we  came  to  conscious- 
ness in  a  human  body.  As  God  is  the  sum  total 
of  all  things  in  the  universe,  visible  and  invisible, 
the  particles  of  matter  that  now  compose  our 
bodies  always  existed  but  not  in  their  present 
form.  They  were  a  part  of  God  for  God  is  All. 
The  spark  of  spirit — of  God — which  has  always 
existed,  that  was  at  my  conception  lodged  in  a 
physical  body,  had  never  before  been  incarnated 
in  human  form,  hence  had  no  conscious  personal- 
existence  before  my  birth  on  the  earth  plane. 
Myriads  of  divine  sparks  have  been  incarnated  in 
material  bodies  and  gained  a  conscious  personal- 
ity and  will  retain  it  forever.  Other  myriads  are 
awaiting  to  be  incarnated.  The  supply  can  never 
be  exhausted  for  the  unlimited — the  infinite — 
cannot  be  exhausted.  There  must  be  involution 
before  there  is  evolution.  The  very  idea  of  evolu- 
tion presupposes  something  already  in  existence. 
Where  did  that  something  from  which  other 
things  evolved  come  from?  I  answer  it  came 
from  the  infinite  self-existent  ocean  of  matter  and 
of  mind.  The  substance  composing  everything  in 
the  universe  always  existed.  Not  a  particle  was 
ever  created  but  the  eternal  energies  inherent  in 
all  things,  are  ceaselessly  at  work  forming  and  re- 
forming substance  into  infinitely  diversified  forms 
and  shapes.  There  could  be  no  'spontaneous  gen- 
eration' followed  by  evolution,  for  there  would 
have  to  be  something  before  evolution  could  be- 
gin to  work. 

"The  hitherto  unconscious  human  germ,  pro- 
ceeding in  accordance  with  the  perfect  law  of 
nature,  comes  in  contact  with  matter  and  the 
work  of  evolution,  of  unfoldment  begins,  and  a 


68  HENRY   ASHTON 

conscious  soul  is  born,  and  the  journey  to  incon- 
ceivable joy  and  glory  begins.  At  so-called  death 
the  spirit,  the  life,  the  divine  spark,  casts  off  the 
grosser  shell,  retaining  a  finer  material  but  to  us 
an  invisible  body,  and  rises  to  a  more  refined  ma- 
terial plane,  for  matter  exists  in  planes  of  varied 
degrees  of  refinement.  The  highest  spheres  of 
heaven  are  composed  of  a  material  substance, 
though  invisible  to  eye  of  mortal,  for  were  it  not 
so  there  could  be  no  heaven.  Intelligent  beings 
could  not  exist  in  a  heaven  of  nothingness.  An 
infinite  ocean  of  ether  infills  the  illimitable  uni- 
verse. It  contains,  and  has  from  all  eternity  con- 
tained, the  germs  of  every  human  being  ever 
born  of  woman  or  who  will  ever  be  born,  in  the 
ages  to  come. 

"Look  aloft,  my  friend !  Cast  your  pessimistic 
thoughts  to  the  winds.  Open  your  eyes,  throw 
wide  open  the  windows  of  your  soul,  and  know 
that  you  are  a  child  of  God — that  you  are  a  part 
of  God — that  you  are  God.  Learn  that  you  are 
deathless,  and  not  only  deathless  but  that  you 
have  within  you  the  potentialities  and  possibili- 
ties which  will  unfold  more,  and  still  more,  till 
you  have  attained  to  that  degree  of  power,  and 
wisdom,  and  harmony,  and  goodness,  and  joy 
which  is  now  beyond  the  power  of  mortal  man 
to  conceive.  Though  in  this  kindergarten  state 
you  toil,  and  suffer,  and  weep ;  though  disappoint- 
ments, and  sickness,  and  sorrows  may  surge  all 
about  you  and  over  you ;  though  crushed  by  pov- 
erty, deserted  by  your  kind,  cast  out  and  trampled 
upon,  and  beaten,  and  bruised,  and  killed,  you 
shall  some  time,  somewhere,  clap  your  hands  and 
shout  for  joy  that  you  were  taken  out  of  the  in- 


HENRY   ASHTON  69 

finite  ocean  of  impersonal  spirit,  incarnated  in 
matter,  given  a  consciousness  of  an  individual 
existence,  and  was  started  on  the  glorious  jour- 
ney to  ineffable  glory.  You  shall  yet  step  from 
star  to  star,  fly  with  the  velocity  of  thought  to  the 
blazing  suns  in  the  vast  depths  of  infinite  space, 
and  sit  in  counsel  with  the  mighty  intelligences 
of  the  glorious  courts  of  heaven." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

ASHTON  CONFESSES  HIS  LOVE  FOR  LILLIE  HIGSBEE, 
BUT  DOES  NOT  KNOW  IF  SHE  WERE  RESCUED. 

Frequent  were  the  meetings  between  Ashton 
and  Batty  and  earnest  were  their  deliberations  as 
to  their  future  course.  They  were  now  nearing 
the  coast  of  China  and  soon  the  Roswell  would 
reach  her  destination.  The  all-absorbing  thought 
haunting  the  brain  of  Engineer  Ashton  was  con- 
cerning Lilly.  Had  her  boat  been  picked  up  by 
some  passing  ship,  and  is  she  safe  and  well,  or, 
oh,  the  horror  of  the  thought,  did  she  die  from 
exposure,  or  starvation  or  illness,  or  had  she  been 
lost  by  the  overturning  of  the  little  craft  ?  If  she 
were  alive  what  steps  should  he  take  to  find  her? 
All  these  questions  daily,  almost  hourly,  crowded 
themselves  upon  the  young  man.  Batty  deeply 
sympathized  with  his  friend.  The  attachment 
between  the  two  men  had  grown  stronger  and 
stronger,  till  now  the  perplexities  and  sorrows  of 
one  became  matters  of  the  deepest  concern  to  the 
other.    As  witness  to,  and  custodian  of,  the  last 


70  HENRY    ASHTON 

will  of  Colonel  Higsbee,  Mr.  Batty  not  only  knew 
of  the  engagement  of  his  friend  with  Lilly  Higs- 
bee, but  realized  that  it  was  his  official  duty  to 
search  for  the  widow  and  child  of  the  testator. 
He  also  felt  a  profound  interest  in  his  friend,  and 
for  his  sake  alone  was  more  than  willing  to  de- 
vote his  time  and  energies  in  instituting  an  ex- 
haustive search  for  the  two  women.  After  many 
meetings  and  discussions  of  the  situation  in  all 
its  phases,  the  men  decided  that  soon  after  the 
landing  of  the  Roswell  in  Hong  Kong  as  might 
be  possible,  both  would  take  passage  on  the  first 
steamer  for  America,  where  they  would  begin  a 
search  for  Mrs.  and  Miss  Higsbee,  and  continue 
it  unremittingly  till  the  object  of  their  search  was 
found  or  their  fate  ascertained. 

In  due  time  the  steamer  landed  at  her  destina- 
tion and  the  two  men  waiked  down  the  gang- 
plank and  stood  upon  terra  firma  in  a  Chinese 
city. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

MISS   HIGSBEE'S  EXPERIENCE  WITH   THOMAS  LAW- 
SON,  WHO  PROPOSES  MARRIAGE. 

By  this  time  the  reader  no  doubt  is  anxious  to 
know  something  more  about  Mrs.  Higsbee,  her 
daughter  Lilly,  and  Thomas  Lawson.  It  will  be 
remembered  we  left  them  on  board  of  the  Jose- 
phine, bound  for  Portland,  Oregon.  Mrs.  Higs- 
bee had  quite  bravely  endured  the  hardships 
through  which  she  had  passed,  but  a  reaction 


HENRY   ASHTON  71 

from  a  condition  of  a  high  nervous  strain  came 
quickly  after  the  rescue.  Her  fears  for  the  safety 
of  her  husband  had  almost  overwhelmed  her ;  she 
was  inconsolable  and  ill.  The  anxiety  of  Lilly  for 
the  welfare  of  her  father  and  her  lover  was  also 
most  intense,  but  she  bore  up  heroically,  and  she 
assumed  a  hopeful,  cheerful  manner  and  gave  her 
mother  constant  and  loving  attention.  She  reas- 
sured herself  and  her  mother  that,  as  they  had 
been  rescued,  so  might  the  other  boats  be.  "It 
was  not,"  she  said,  "far  distant  from  the  shore 
where  the  shipwreck  occurred ;  they  were  in  the 
track  of  many  steamers  passing  to  and  from  San 
Francisco.  Distant  steamers  had  been  seen.  Sure- 
ly some  of  them  had  picked  up  the  other  boats." 
God  is  good,  and  she  would  trust  Him  and, 
though  great  sorrow  and  fear  took  possession  of 
her  at  times,  yet  she  would  hope  they  might  again 
meet  their  loved  ones.  Added  to  her  anxiety  was 
the  enforced  attention  of  Lawson.  Every  day, 
and  several  times  a  day,  he  would  call  and  inquire 
as  to  her  mother's  condition,  expressing  as  he  did 
so  his  sympathies  for  the  elder  lady  and  offering 
his  services.  She  treated  him  coolly,  but  her 
mother  was  pleased  at  his  apparent  interest  in  her 
welfare.  On  one  occasion,  when  Mrs.  Higsbee 
was  feeling  better  than  usual,  she  called  her 
daughter  to  her  bedside  and  said : 

"My  dear  Lilly,  I  may  not  be  with  you  long. 
I  feel  that  this  great  misfortune  will  so  crush 
me  that  I  shall  never  recover.  I  fear,  oh,  how  I 
fear,  that  your  dear  father  has  gone  from  us  for- 
ever. He  has  been  swallowed  up  by  the  sea,"  and 
then  sobs  and  a  flood  of  tears  for  a  time  prevented 
further  utterance.    Regaining  partially  her  com- 


72  HENRY    ASHTON 

posure,  she  resumed :  "If  I  should  die,  as  I  feel  I 
shall,  you  will  be  alone  in  the  world.  Poor  child ! 
Your  parents  gone,  to  whom  will  you  go  for  ad- 
vice and  protection.  Sorely  will  you  stand  in 
need  of  an  adviser  and  protector.  Now,  my  dear, 
I  recognize  in  Mr.  Lawson  the  cultured,  honor- 
able gentleman ;  he  loves  you ;  he  has  so  declared 
to  me ;  he  is  wealthy ;  he  has  great  ability  and 
comes  from  a  most  noble  family.  He  informs  me 
,you  do  not  reciprocate  his  love — that  you  do  not 
care  for  him  and  I  have  myself  observed  an  ex- 
pression of  indifference  toward  him  on  your  part. 
I  deeply  regret  this.  You  have  always  been  a 
good,  obedient  and  loving  child.  You  have  never 
refused  to  grant  my  request.  I  know  you  will 
not  refuse  now,  when  I  ask  you  to  treat  him 
with  greater  consideration,  to  encourage  his  at- 
tentions, and  if  he  proposes  marriage,  to  accept 
him." 

After  the  utterance  of  her  mother's  first  sen- 
tence, Lilly  had  a  presentment  of  what  was  com- 
ing. She  sat  like  a  statue  holding  the  invalid  by 
the  hand.  Her  gaze  was  fixed  at  vacancy  and  was 
averted  from  her  mother's  face,  and  her  heart 
throbbed  violently.  At  the  conclusion  of  her 
mother's  remarks,  she  bent  over  and  tenderly 
kissed  her,  then,  dropping  to  her  knees  by  the  bed- 
side, hid  her  face  on  her  mother's  bosom  and 
wept,  but  uttered  not  a  word  in  reply.  For  sev- 
eral minutes  she  continued  in  this  attitude,  and, 
until  a  rap  on  the  door  of  the  stateroom  aroused 
her.  She  arose  to  her  feet  and  answered  the  sum- 
mons by  opening  the  door  and  ushering  in  the 
ship's  physician,  who  had  called  professionally. 

Contrary  to  her  own  predictions.  Mrs.  Higsbee 


HENRY    ASHTON  73 

steadily  improved  from  day  to  day,  and  when  the 
Josephine  reached  Portland,  though  far  from 
being  well,  she  had  regained  considerable  of  her 
former  physical  strength,  notwithstanding  the 
deep  mental  depression  and  gloom  which  still  en- 
shrouded her. 

Five  days  after  the  rescue  of  Mrs.  and  Miss 
Higsbee  and  Thomas  Lawson  by  the  Josephine, 
they  stepped  upon  the  wharf  of  the  principal  city 
of  Oregon. 

Though  Colonel  Higsbee  had  spared  no  ex- 
pense in  giving  his  daughter  a  thorough  educa- 
tion in  one  of  the  best  institutions  of  learning  in 
Australia,  and  though  she  had  read  much  and 
traveled  considerably,  and  possessed  an  intelli- 
gent mind,  yet  she  knew  nothing  whatever  of  the 
city  of  Portland  except  in  the  most  general  way. 
On  all  former  journeys  her  father,  who  had  al- 
ways accompanied  her  on  her  travels,  attended  to 
the  purchase  of  tickets,  looked  after  baggage,  se- 
lected hotels,  etc.,  and  had  relieved  his  wife  and 
daughter  of  all  responsibility  and  care  about  such 
things.  Now  Lilly  awakened  to  a  realization  of 
the  weighty  responsibility  that  rested  upon  her 
alone.  All  plans  matured  before  leaving  home 
had  been  destroyed ;  her  father  was  gone ;  her 
mother  was  ill,  and  she  had  found  herself  in  a 
strange  city  and  in  a  foreign  land.  This  would 
be  enough  to  bring  dismay  to  many  ;  but  the  great 
responsibility  thus  thrust  upon  this  young  girl, 
instead  of  crushing  her,  aroused  her  latent  spirit 
of  independence  and  courage.  Looking  over  a 
list  of  the  names  of  Portland  hotels,  she  selected 
one,  and,  with  her  mother,  entered  a  hack  and 
gave  orders  to  be  driven  to  that  hostelry.    On  ar- 


74  HENRY    ASHTON 

riving  there,  and  after  suitable  quarters  had  been 
assigned  them,  and  she  had  made  her  mother  as 
comfortable  as  circumstances  would  permit,  she 
repaired  to  the  office  to  ascertain  if  any  passengers 
from  the  wrecked  Osceola  had  been  rescued  other 
than  those  brought  in  by  the  Josephine.  At  her 
request  the  hotel  clerk  secured  a  file  of  a  city  pa- 
per for  the  past  week,  and  handed  them  to  her. 
They  contained  but  one  account  of  the  rescue  of 
passengers.  This  item  stated,  in  effect,  that  an 
eastern-bound  steamer  had  picked  up  one  boat- 
load of  passengers  and  crew  from  the  ill-fated 
Osceola,  and  the  day  before  had  landed  them  at 
San  Francisco.  A  full  list  of  names  of  those 
brought  in  was  printed,  but  not  one  of  them  had 
Miss  Higsbee  heard  before.  With  a  heavy  heart 
she  rejoined  her  mother  bearing  the  sad  tidings 
that  nothing  was  yet  known  on  land  of  the  fate 
of  Colonel  Higsbee,  Henry  Ashton,  and  their 
companions.  They  mingled  their  tears  together 
and  spent  the  remainder  of  the  day  in  close  seclu- 
sion. Every  morning  for  three  weeks  Miss  Higs- 
bee snatched  the  newspaper  from  the  hands  of  the 
delivery  boy  and  eagerly  scanned  the  news  col- 
umns, hoping,  praying  that  they  might  contain 
information  of  the  rescue  of  her  father  and  Hen- 
ry Ashton,  but  every  day  she  was  compelled,  with 
tears  in  her  eyes,  to  lay  down  the  paper  without 
finding  what  she  was  so  very  anxious  to  see.  Hope 
with  both  mother  and  daughter  began  to  give  way 
to  despondency,  and  the  two  nearly  heartbroken 
women  were  settling  down  to  the  conviction  that 
their  loved  ones  had  indeed  been  separated  from 
them  forever. 

Before    leaving    the   Josephine,  Tom  Lawson 


HENRY   ASHTON  75 

had  made  several  attempts  to  engage  Miss  Higs- 
bee  in  conversation,  but  had  succeeded  only  in 
extorting  from  her  a  few  commonplace  remarks 
and  she  had  for  her  mother's  sake,  treated  him 
with  less  coolness  of  manner  than  when  they  were 
first  taken  into  the  small  boat,  yet  by  her  digni- 
fied and  reserved  manner  she  kept  him  at  a  proper 
distance.  For  about  three  weeks  after  Miss 
Higsbee  and  her  mother  had  taken  up  their  tem- 
porary abode  at  the  hotel,  they  saw  nothing  of 
Lawson,  and  Lilly  hoped  that  he  had  abandoned 
all  further  attempts  to  win  her  favor. 

Now  let  us  follow  Lawson  and  ascertain  his 
location  and  investigate  his  conduct  since  the 
day  he  left  the  Josephine.  This  was  not  the  first 
time  he  had  been  in  Portland.  Two  years  before 
he  had  left  that  city  in  the  night  time  because  he 
was  wanted  by  the  police  to  answer  to  a  complaint 
of  a  miner  who  made  the  charge  that  he  had 
swindled  him  out  of  a  considerable  sum  of  money. 
He  now  reasoned  that  he  might  be  recognized ; 
it  would  therefore  be  best,  he  thought,  to  keep 
pretty  well  under  cover.  He  accordingly  sought 
quarters  in  a  section  of  the  city  where  he  would 
be  most  likely  to  escape  recognition.  He  secured 
rooms  in  an  obscure  lodging  house,  and  for  a 
time,  remained  closely  in  doors  during  the  day- 
time. In  the  evening,  disguised,  he  cautiously 
ventured  to  go  on  to  the  street  and  visit  such 
resorts  to  which  his  natural  inclination  drew  him. 
His  funds  were  distressingly  depleted  on  his  ar- 
rival in  the  city,  but  being  an  expert  with  cards 
it  was  not  long  before  he  was  pretty  well  sup- 
plied with  money.  But  his  thoughts  were  cen- 
tered on  Lilly  Higsbee  and  her  fortune.       For 


76  HENRY    ASHTON 

hours  at  a  time  he  would  sit  quietly  in  his  rooms 
thinking  what  scheme  he  might  concoct  and  carry 
into  execution,  that  would  secure  to  him  the  girl 
and  her  property.  If  he  could  marry  her  he 
might  easily  obtain  possession  of  her  fortune,  or 
most  of  it.  He  would  prefer  the  money  without 
the  girl,  but  he  would  marry  her  if  necessary 
to  secure  the  property.  If  he  were  certain  that 
Col.  Higsbee  would  never  again  turn  up,  the 
situation  would  be  less  complex.  He  hoped  that 
the  Colonel  and  Ashton  were  both  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  sea.  In  that  case  the  solution  of  the 
problem  would  be  much  easier.  If  he  could 
marry  the  girl  and  her  father  would  later  put 
in  an  appearance,  his  ends  would  be  accomplished 
for  he  would  so  win  the  favor  of  his  father-in-law 
that  he  could  soon  be  in  control  of  most  of  his 
earthly  possessions.  One  day  after  a  season  of 
earnest  thinking  over  the  situation,  he  suddenly 
sprang  to  his  feet  and  ejaculated: 

"I  have  it!  I  have  it!  I  will  cause  a  report 
to  be  printed  to  the  effect  that  information  has 
been  received  that  the  boat  in  which  Col.  Higs- 
bee and  Henry  Ashton  made  their  escape  from 
the  wreck  of  the  Osceola,  was  capsized  and  was 
discovered  by  a  vessel,  and  that  all  who  were 
aboard  of  the  little  craft  were  lost.  That  I  can 
show  to  Mrs.  Higsbee  and  Lilly  and  all  their  hope 
of  ever  again  seeing  the  Colonel  and  my  rival,  will 
be  crushed.  The  women  are  in  a  strange  country 
— are  helpless  and  despondent.  When  they  real- 
ize that  they  are  thousands  of  miles  from  home, 
and  have  not  a  single  acquaintance  in  America  ex- 
cept myself,  they  will  gladly  accept  my  friendly 
overtures.       I  have  already   captured   the  elder 


HENRY   ASHTON  77 

lady,  and  the  proud,  haughty  daughter  will  soon 
surrender.  Good  enough,  Tom  Lavvson !  You 
are  a  mighty  clever  fellow ;  you  deserve  the  hand 
and  fortune  of  Lilly  Higsbee  for  inventing  so 
fine  a  scheme  and  both  shall  yet  be  yours." 

Procuring  pen  and  paper  Lawson  wrote  the  fol- 
lowing : 

"Yesterday  some  fishermen  off  the  coast  of 
Santa  Cruz  found  a  small  boat  floating  in  the 
water  bottom  up.  They  towed  it  to  shore  when 
upon  closer  examination,  they  found  on  the  side 
in  painted  letters,  the  words  :  Str.  Osceola.  The 
fishermen,  at  first,  supposed  that  it  contained 
nothing,  but  a  little  later  a  fragment  of  a  smooth 
board  was  noticed  fastened  to  a  crosspiece  by  a 
string,  which  contained  some  pencil  scratches, 
which  proved  to  be  writing.  After  more  study 
the  words  were  deciphered  and  read  as  follows : 

"  'We  are  of  the  wrecked  steamer,  Osceola. 
Seven  in  number.  Col.  James  Higsbee,  of  Mel- 
bourne, is  one  of  us.  We  have  little  or  no  hope 
of  rescue. 

'(Signed)  HENRY  ASHTON,' 

"There,"  said  Lawson  to  himself.  "That  is 
superb.  I  will  have  that  printed  in  a  little  slip  at 
some  obscure  printing  office  in  type  and  on  paper 
similar  to  those  used  by  newspapers.  I  will  take 
it  to  Mrs.  and  Miss  Higsbee,  show  it  to  them,  and 
tell  them  I  clipped  it  from  a  Santa  Cruz  paper. 
That  will  do  the  business.  Tom  Lawson,  old  fel- 
low, I  congratulate  you.  Your  battle  for  a  for- 
tune and  a  wife  has  been  half  won  already !" 

Lawson,  without  any  unnecessary  delay,  pro- 
ceeded to  carry  his  scheme  into  execution,  and 


78  HENRY   ASHTON 

forty-eight  hours  had  not  passed  before  he  called 
upon  the  Higsbees  with  the  printed  slip  in  his 
pocket. 

Mrs.  Higsbee  had  grown  calmer  and  was 
slowly  regaining  physical  strength.  He  found 
her  in  the  parlor  and  after  greeting  the  elderly 
lady,  and  offering  congratulations  on  her  im- 
proved appearance,  and  vouchsafing  apologies  for 
his  failure  for  not  calling  before,  he  was  informed 
that  Lilly  had  gone  out  for  a  short  walk  in  the 
fresh  air  and  the  invigorating  sunshine.  This 
was  a  situation  quite  satisfactory  to  Lawson. 
Mrs.  Higsbee  was  already  favorably  impressed 
with  him  and  now  he  would  have  a  good  opportu- 
nity to  strengthen  that  impression,  and,  through 
the  mother,  he  hoped  to  influence  the  daughter. 
She  extended  her  hand  to  him  and  exclaimed : 

"Oh,  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you,  Mr.  Lawson! 
Beside  Lilly,  you  are  the  only  friend  I  have  in 
America.  Why  have  you  remained  away  from 
us  so  long?  I  have  been  so  very  anxious  to  see 
and  consult  you.  Have  you  gained  any  informa- 
tion about  my  husband,  favorable  or  otherwise? 
Oh,  do  speak  if  you  have  heard  any  thing  about 
him.  I  feel  that  I  cannot  much  longer  endure  this 
awful  suspense." 

Assuming  an  honest  expression  of  countenance, 
and  carefully  controlling  the  intonations  of  his 
voice,  Lawson  replied :  "My  dear  Mrs.  Higsbee, 
I  hope  you  will  pardon  me  for  my  apparent  neg- 
lect. Circumstances  were  such  that  it  was  well 
nigh  impossible  for  me  to  see  you  sooner.  I 
thought  of  you  and  Lilly  every  hour  since  I  last 
saw  you.  I  came  to  see  you  at  the  very  first 
moment  possible.     I  have  been  pressed  by  busi- 


HENRY   ASHTON  79 

ness  engagements.  My  time  has  been  wholly  oc- 
cupied. My  American  agent,  a  few  years  ago, 
invested  quite  large  amounts  of  my  money  in 
Oregon  lands,  also  in  bank,  railroad,  and  other 
stocks  in  this  and  neighboring  cities,  and  I  have 
been  examining  the  properties  and  adjusting  sev- 
eral important  financial  matters  that  required  my 
prompt  attention.  Again  I  beg  you  to  forgive 
my  apparent  neglect  of  you  and  your  lovely 
daughter.  But  you  ask  me  as  to  the  latest  infor- 
mation that  may  have  been  received  regarding 
your  husband.  It  gives  me  pain,  intense  pain, 
dear  Mrs.  Higsbee,  to  inform  you  that  informa- 
tion has  been  received  and — and  I  hesitate  to  say, 
it  is  not  of  a  cheerful  nature.  Indeed  it  is  oth- 
erwise. It  is  well  to  be  prepared  for  the  worst. 
This  life  is  filled  with  disappointments  and  sor- 
rows, and  you,  my  dear  friend,  seem  to  be  des- 
tined to  experience  more  than  your  just  share  of 
them.  I  have  important  information  for  you ;  I 
came  here  to  impart  it  to  you  but  my  courage 
almost  fails  me.  I  fear  that  Col.  Higsbee  has 
been  lost.  In  truth  it  is  almost  a  certainty  that  he 
has  been.  To-day  I  clipped  from  a  Santa  Cruz, 
California,  newspaper,  an  item  which  seems  to 
almost  settle  the  question.  I  have  the  item  in 
my  hand ;  here  it  is  ?  I  solemnly  assure  you  that 
I  feel  the  most  intense  sympathy  for  you  and 
Lilly.  Summon  all  your  courage  and  remember 
that  it  was  God's  will  and  His  ways  are  inscru- 
table and  past  finding  out." 

Lawson  handed  her  the  printed  slip.  She  hur- 
riedly read  it,  gave  a  scream  and  dropped  the 
paper  upon  the  floor.  For  several  minutes  she 
was  nearly  overcome  by  grief.     While  she  had, 


80  HENRY   ASHTON 

ever  since  the  shipwreck  been  partially  prepared 
for  such  information,  yet  when  it  came  and  hope 
of  again  meeting  her  husband  was  dashed  from 
her  forever,  the  shock  was  too  great,  and  she  gave 
her  herself  up  to  paroxysms  of  grief.  Lawson 
stepped  to  the  door  and  summoned  assistance  and 
the  grief-stricken  woman  was  removed  to  her 
room.  Leaving  her  in  charge  of  attendants  he 
withdrew  and  soon  disappeared. 

When  Lilly  returned  she  found  her  mother  in 
deep  sorrow  but  much  more  composed  mentally, 
than  when  Lawson  left.  In  a  few  words,  and  be- 
tween sobs,  Mrs.  Higsbee  informed  her  daugh- 
ter of  Lawson's  call,  of  what  he  had  said  about 
finding  the  item  in  the  newspaper  and  she  then 
handed  the  clipping  to  Lilly.  Miss  Higsbee  was 
less  emotional  than  her  mother,  but  when  she 
had  finished  perusing  the  printing  upon  the  little 
slip,  she  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears,  threw  herself 
upon  her  mother's  neck  and  the  two  women  gave 
themselves  up  to  unutterable  grief. 


CHAPTER  X. 

MRS.    HIGSBEE   URGES  LILLY  TO  BECOME  THE  WIFE 
OF    LAWSON. 

A  few  days  after  the  occurrence  of  the  events 
mentioned  in  the  preceding  chapter,  Mrs.  Higsbee 
said : 

"Come,  my  dear  child,  sit  down  beside  me,  and 
let  us  have  a  talk  as  to  our  future.     We  must 


HENRY   ASHTON  81 

decide  what  we  shall  do.  I  have  been  thinking 
the  matter  over.  One  of  two  plans  I  think  we 
should  adopt :  First,  is  to  return  to  Melbourne 
on  the  next  steamer;  or  second,  to  proceed  to 
Omaha  and  adjust  your  father's  business  and 
after  that  is  attended  to  sail  for  home.  Oh,  what 
an  irretrievable  loss  we  have  suffered !  What 
sorrow  and  misfortune  has  been  inflicted  upon 
us !  We  are  now  called  upon  to  decide  impor- 
tant questions,  to  grapple  with  which  I  feel  we  are 
both  incompetent.  I  know  nothing  of  business 
methods,  neither  do  you.  I  am  totally  ignorant 
about  courts  and  law,  and  so  are  you.  Mr.  Batty, 
your  father's  attorney,  to  whose  charge  the  man- 
agement of  this  American  business  was  intrusted, 
has  no  doubt  shared  the  same  fate  as  your  father. 
He  too  is  gone.  The  business  at  Omaha  is  im- 
portant— so  important  that  to  attend  to  which 
was  the  main  purpose  of  your  father's  journey 
to  America. 

"I  feel  that  we  are  helpless.  That  business 
must  be  unattended  to  unless  we  can  secure  the 
services  of  some  one  in  whom  we  can  repose  con- 
fidence, to  whom  we  can  intrust  it.  I  have 
thought,  dear  daughter,  of  but  one  who  might,  at 
our  solicitation,  act  as  our  friend.  That  per- 
son is  Mr.  Thomas  Lawson.  As  he  was  ac- 
quainted with  your  father,  and  because  of  his  ar- 
dent love  for  you,  and  his  very  high  regard  for 
me,  I  feel  that  he  would  most  cheerfully  consent 
to  become  our  friend  and  adviser,  although  I 
know  that  his  time  is  fully  occupied  in  looking 
after  his  own  large  financial  affairs.  Yes,  Lilly, 
I  have  decided ;  I  shall  express  my  desire  to  him 
that  he  take  charge  of  our  affairs  and  yet,  my 


82  HENRY    ASHTON 

dear,  I  could  not  ignore  and  override  any  serious 
objection  you  might  urge.  What  have  you  to 
say  as  to  my  suggestion  ?  What  do  you  think  of 
it.  Again  :  When  we  left  home  it  was  our  inten- 
tion to  remain  abroad  a  year  and  your  father 
arranged  affairs  in  Melbourne  to  that  end,  and 
I  now  feel  since  our  great  bereavement  that  I 
could  the  better  endure  our  affliction  in  America 
during  that  time  than  I  could  if  I  returned  to 
our  desolated  home. 

"Dear  mother,"  replied  the  girl,  "Our  situa- 
tion is  indeed  a  painful  one.  Our  dilemma  is  as 
you  portray  it.  We  are  far  from  home  and  in  a 
strange  land.  Our  loved  ones  are  gone  from  us 
forever.  Were  it  not  for  you,  dear  mother,  I 
would  welcome  death  myself.  But  I  must  live 
for  you.  You  are  all  I  have,  and  for  your  sake, 
your  happiness,  I  will  live  and  labor,  and  if  nec- 
essary suffer.  Your  wish  shall  be  my  law.  I 
do  not  share  your  belief  that  Mr.  Lawson  is  the 
noble,  good  man  that  you  picture  him.  I  can 
never  love  him.  My  love  was,  and  still  is  for  an- 
other and  his  body  lies  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea, 
or  ere  this,  has  become  food  for  the  fishes.  For 
your  sake,  dear  mother,  I  shall  treat  Mr.  Lawson 
courteously — even  kindly,  and  if  it  be  your  de- 
sire, and  I  know  it  is,  I  will  accept  his  proposal 
of  marriage,  and  will  be  to  him  a  faithful  and 
dutiful  wife,  but  I  shall  tell  him  as  I  now  tell 
you,  that  I  have  no  love  for  him  and  never  shall 
have.  If  I  consent  to  marry  him  that  consent 
must  be  given  on  one  condition  and  that  is  that 
the  ceremony  shall  not  take  place  for  one  year 
from  the  date  of  engagement.  This  condition  I 
make  that  I  may  ascertain  to  a  certainty  whether 


HENRY   ASHTON  83 

Henry  Ashton  is  among  the  living  or  the  dead, 
though  this  reason  for  the  postponement  of  the 
wedding  I  shall  mention  to  none  but  you." 

There  was  but  little  further  conversation  be- 
tween mother  and  daughter  on  the  subject.  Mrs. 
Higsbee  made  some  effort  to  protract  the  dis- 
cussion in  which  she  again  declared  that  she  had 
unwavering  faith  in  the  honor  of  Thomas  Law- 
son,  and  expressed  the  belief  that  Lilly  would 
find  him  to  be  such  a  devoted  and  loving  hus- 
band that  she  would  soon  learn  to  love  him  even 
if  she  thought  she  could  not  now,  but  to  all  this 
the  girl  made  no  reply,  or  if  she  did  her  answers 
were  short  and  evasive  and  at  the  close  of  the 
conversation  her  mother  believed  that  she  had 
made  a  decided  impression  on  her  daughter  in 
Lawson's  favor. 

On  all  occasions  prior  to  this  time  when  Law- 
son  met  Mrs.  Higsbee  while  she  greeted  him 
with  considerable  cordiality  there  was  yet  a  per- 
ceptible restraint  on  her  part  which  left  him  in 
doubt  whether  her  geniality  was  due  to  innate 
politeness,  or,  was  prompted  by  a  genuine  friend- 
liness. That  doubt  was  removed  from  his  mind 
when  he  called  the  day  after  the  conversation 
alluded  to  between  Lilly  and  her  mother.  Now, 
Mrs.  Higsbee  unreservedly  uncovers  all  her  plans, 
seeks  his  advice,  and  in  the  most  artless  and  con- 
fiding spirit,  talks  to  him  as  if  he  were  a  near 
relative  or  a  trusted  life-long  friend.  She  re- 
hearsed to  him  much  of  the  conversation  that  had 
taken  place  the  day  before  between  Lilly  and  her- 
self and  frankly  solicited  him  to  become  their 
confidential  counselor  and  protector,  and,  con- 
tinued the  confiding  lady,  "I  am  more  than  grat- 


84  HENRY    ASHTON 

ified  to  be  able  to  assure  you,  Mr.  Lawson,  that 
Lilly  acquiesces  in  this  proposition  to  you." 

As  Mrs.  Higsbee  closed  these  remarks  Tom 
Lawson's  eyes  glistened  with  delight  and  he  in- 
wardly chuckled  with  joy.  This  was  a  condition 
of  things  to  accomplish  which  he  had  been  schem- 
ing for  several  weeks.  So  far,  his  plans  had 
worked  most  admirably.  Now  he  knew  that  the 
elder  lady  was  completely  under  his  influence  and 
in  his  power ;  but  he  was  not  yet  sure  of  the 
daughter.  He  remembered  that  she  had  not,  by 
word  or  sign,  betrayed  any  evidence  that  she 
was  in  accord  with  her  mother  in  the  proposition 
made  him  by  that  lady.  She  might  be  in  error 
in  supposing  that  Lilly  was  entirely  favorable  to 
this  arrangement ;  however,  he  thought  to  him- 
self, "I  am  making  good  progress  and  through 
the  mother  I  will  yet  capture  the  girl."  Assum- 
ing an  air  of  honest  frankness  Lawson  replied : 

"My  dear  friends,  this  is  a  great  surprise  to 
me,  but  I  assure  you,  a  most  pleasant  one. 
Though  I  am  a  very  busy  man  I  shall  deem  it 
a  great  pleasure  and  privilege  to  serve  you  in  the 
way  you  have  suggested,  or  in  any  other  way  you 
may  desire.  I  have,  from  the  beginning  of  our 
acquaintance,  entertained  the  profoundest  regard 
for  Col.  Higsbee  as  well  as  for  yourself,  Madam." 
Turning  to  Lilly  and  making  a  bow,  he  said : 
"Those  words  conveying  sentiments  of  friend- 
ship do  not  adequately  express  my  feelings  to- 
wards you,  Miss  Higsbee.  You  cannot  have  been 
unaware  of  the  maddening  love  I  have  entertained 
for  you.  I  gladly  accept  the  trust  that  has  been 
placed  in  my  keeping  and  it  shall  be  my  highest 
aim  to  faithfully  serve  you  and  demonstrate  to 


HENRY    ASHTON  85 

you  how  constant,  devoted,  and  undying  my  love 
is  for  you." 

As  Lawson  finished,  Miss  Higsbee  calmly  and 
firmly  said : 

''Mr.  Lawson,  circumstances  of  a  very  pain- 
ful nature  have  conspired  to  place  my  mother 
and  myself  under  very  unhappy  conditions.  We 
are  in  a  strange  land,  are  discouraged,  ill  and 
heart-broken  from  the  terrible  events  of  the  past 
few  weeks  which  have  enshrouded  us  both  in  in- 
expressible sorrow.  We  stand  in  need  of  a  coun- 
selor and  friend.  Mother  has  selected  you  and 
requested  you  to  be  such  to  us.  I  acquiesce;  I 
defer  to  her  judgment.  I  shall  interpose  no  ob- 
jections to  her  choice  of  that  friend.  As  to  your 
declaration  of  love  for  me,  I  prefer  to  say  but 
little  now.  At  a  later  time  I  may  talk  to  you 
more  freely.  It  is  due,  however,  to  myself  and 
to  you  that  I  frankly  inform  you  that  I  have 
loved,  but  the  object  of  my  affection  is  no  more. 
I  cannot  now  give  you  an  unqualified  promise 
that  I  shall  ever  love  another  and  take  upon  my- 
self the  marriage  vows.  If  I  should  at  some 
future  time  consent  to  marry,  and  my  feelings 
have  undergone  no  change,  I  shall  frankly  say 
to  the  man  who  would  take  me  for  his  life  com- 
panion, that  while  I  might  entertain  respect  for 
him,  might  honor  him,  might  even  admire  him, 
I  could  not  love  him.  I  cannot,  if  I  would,  con- 
trol my  own  heart.  It  was  given  to  another. 
Even  the  knowledge  that  he  has  gone  to  the  great 
mysterious  beyond  makes  no  change  in  my  affec- 
tion for  him.  Love  does  not  stop  at  the  grave. 
It  leaps  across  the  great  chasm  and  follows  its 


8G  HENRY    ASHTON 

object  to  the  most  distant  part  of  the  infinite  uni- 
verse.    Do  not  ask  me  to  say  more  now." 

At  the  conclusion  of  these  words  she  arose 
from  her  seat,  bowed  to  Lawson,  and  left  the 
room. 

After  some  further  conversation  with  Mrs. 
Higsbee  in  which  the  future  movements  of  the 
three  were  discussed,  Lawson  retired,  promis- 
ing to  call  again  on  the  following  morning.  He 
went  directly  to  his  rooms  and  spent  the  remain- 
der of  the  day  in  maturing  his  plans. 

"The  first  step  to  be  taken,"  said  that  rogue  to 
himself,  "will  be  to  get  written  authority  from 
Mrs.  Higsbee  investing  me  with  legal  power  to 
transact  her  business  in  Omaha.  With  that  I 
can  get  possession  of  a  large  sum  of  money  by 
compromising  the  suit  now  pending  in  which 
Col.  James  Higsbee  is  a  litigant.  But  to  suc- 
cessfully work  this  scheme  I  must  see  to  it  that 
neither  the  old  lady  nor  the  girl  shall  personally 
visit  Omaha,  for  if  they  do,  they  might  in  some 
way  become  apprised  of  my  methods.  No ;  I  must 
go  alone.  Let  me  see !  Yes,  I  will  advise  them 
to  either  remain  here,  or  if  they  wish  to  change 
locations,  to  proceed  to  San  Francisco,  Los 
Angeles  or  some  other  place ;  but  the  first  thing 
to  be  done  is  to  get  the  proper  legal  papers. 


HENRY   ASHTON  87 


CHAPTER  XL 


LAWSON  IS  GIVEN  LEGAL  AUTHORITY  TO  SETTLE 
COL.    higsbee' s   BUSINESS    AFFAIRS. 

After  considerable  deliberation,  Lavvson  pro- 
cured writing  materials  and  drew  up  the  follow- 
ing power  of  attorney : 

"Know  all  men  by  these  presents ;  That  we,  the 
undersigned,  Mary  Higsbee,  widow,  and  Lilly 
Higsbee,  daughter,  and  only  surviving  heir  of 
James  Higsbee,  deceased,  late  of  Melbourne,  Aus- 
tralia, do  hereby,  by  these  presents,  appoint 
Thomas  Lawson  our  agent  and  attorney  in  fact, 
and  authorize  and  empower  him  to  transact  all 
business  in  our  name  pertaining  to  a  certain  suit 
in  law  now  pending  in  the  courts  of  Omaha,  Ne- 
braska, entitled,  James  Higsbee  vs.  The  Burling- 
ton &  Missouri  River  R.  R.  Co.,  exercising  all 
the  legal  rights  and  powers  including  the  right 
to  prosecute  or  compromise  said  suit,  with  which 
we,  or  either  of  us,  are  invested  by  law,  as  the 
only  living  representatives  and  beneficiaries  of 
the  said  James  Higsbee,  deceased." 

"There,"  said  Lawson  to  himself,  "If  I  can 
secure  the  signatures  of  the  two  women  to  that, 
it  will  be  worth  $40,000  or  $50,000  to  me.  On 
the  strength  of  that  legal  document  I  will  com- 
promise and  settle  the  law  suit  and  will  realize 
a  good  sum  by  reason  of  my  cleverness.  If  I  can, 
later  on,  marry  the  girl,  I  will  get  a  good  deal 
bigger  rake-oif,  but  if  anything  happens  to  pre- 
vent the  wedding  a  cool  $40,000  will  help  me  to 
endure  my  disappointment." 


88  .       HENRY    ASHTON 

Early  the  next  morning  Lawson  presented  him- 
self at  the  rooms  of  Mrs.  Higsbee  and  found  both 
the  ladies  in.  After  the  usual  greetings  were 
over  Lawson,  assuming  an  attitude  of  dignity, 
and  speaking  as  one  who  had  had  great  busi- 
ness experience  said : 

"Ladies,  I  have  a  paper  to  present  to  you  to 
which  I  desire  you  to  append  your  names.  You 
have  done  me  the  honor  to  designate  me  as  your 
adviser  and  agent.  You  have  asked  me  to  look 
after  your  business  affairs,  and  I  have  accepted 
the  trust  and  feel  highly  honored  at  this  mani- 
festation of  your  confidence  in  my  ability  and 
integrity.  You  doubtless  are  aware  of  the  fact 
that  in  order  to  properly  discharge  my  duties  as 
your  representative,  I  must  have  the  proper  cre- 
dentials in  writing — in  fact  I  must  have  in  my 
possession  what  in  law  is  termed  a  power  of 
attorney.  Here  is  the  instrument  which  only 
lacks  your  signatures  to  make  it  of  force  and 
effect."  He  drew  the  paper  from  his  pocket, 
spread  it  on  the  table  before  Mrs.  Higsbee  and 
stepped  a  short  distance  aside. 

"Certainly,"  responded  Mrs.  Higsbee,  "I  can 
readily  see  the  necessity  for  such  an  instrument. 
Adjusting  her  spectacles  she  perused  the  writing, 
and  picking  up  a  pen,  appended  her  name  to  the 
paper,  saying  as  she  did  so,  "My  dear  Mr.  Law- 
son,  I  am  so  glad  you  have  consented  to  take 
the  responsibility  of  acting  as  our  agent  and 
adviser.  I  shall  trust  you  and  rely  upon  you  most 
implicitly.  How  shall  we  ever  repay  you  for  your 
great  kindness?"  She  handed  the  paper  to  her 
daughter  who  wrote  her  name  below  that  of  her 
mother  and  folding  the  paper,  handed  it  back  to 


HENRY    ASHTON  89 

Lawson,  but  she  made  no  remarks.  Lawson  lost 
no  time  in  putting  the  paper  safely  in  his  pocket. 

"From  what  I  have  learned,"  he  said,  "of  the 
status  of  your  business  in  Omaha,  my  opinion  is 
that  it  requires  immediate  attention.  Now,  as 
it  is  my  purpose  to  start  for  Chicago  to-morrow, 
to  attend  to  some  important  business  in  that  city, 
I  think  it  would  be  advisable  for  me  to  stop  off 
in  Nebraska  and  enquire  into  your  affairs  there. 
I  shall  start  to-morrow  at  10  130  a.  m.  My  advice 
to  you  is  that  you  remain  in  Portland  until  I 
return,  or,  if  you  prefer  a  change,  that  you  go  to 
San  Francisco  and  there  await  my  arrival  from 
the  East." 

"We  shall  do  as  you  suggest,  Mr.  Lawson," 
replied  Mrs.  Higsbee,  and  will  proceed  to  San 
Francisco  within  a  week  or  two,  as  I  think  I 
would  prefer  to  make  that  city  my  temporary 
home  rather  than  Portland." 

"You  are  quite  right,"  said  Lawson.  "San 
Francisco  is  a  great  metropolis  and  possesses 
many  more  attractions  to  the  visitor  than  this  or 
any  other  city  on  the  Pacific  coast ;  and  now,  as 
I  will  have  some  preparations  to  make  before 
starting  on  my  contemplated  journey,  I  will  ask 
you  to  excuse  me;  I  will,  if  time  permits,  make 
a  short  call  on  you  in  the  morning,  but  if  I  do 
not,  I  beg  of  you  that  you  do  not  think  that  I 
did  not  care  to  call,  but  account  for  such  failure 
on  the  grounds  that  I  could  not  possibly  spare 
the  time  in  which  to  drop  in.  I  bid  you  both 
good  night,  and  may  each  succeeding  day  find 
you  feeling  better  and  happier." 

So  saying,  Lawson  shook  hands  with  the  ladies, 
bowed  himself  out,  and  disappeared. 


90  HENRY    ASHTON 

Mrs.  Higsbee  was  pleased  at  the  turn  of  events. 
She  felt  that  a  great  load  of  care  and  responsi- 
bility had  been  lifted  from  her.  She  was  a  wo- 
man of  a  confiding  nature  and  her  confidence  in 
Thomas  Lawson  was  most  implicit.  True  she 
knew  nothing  about  him,  or  his  antecedents,  and 
had  heard  nothing  except  what  Lawson  himself 
had  told  her,  but  she  believed  him  and  trusted 
him.  Her  daughter  was  in  many  respects  her 
superior.  She  was  more  intellectual  naturally 
than  her  mother,  and  intuition  was  more  largely 
developed  in  her.  Her  first  impressions  of  Law- 
son  were  not  favorable  to  him.  She  could  not 
say  that  she  had  observed  any  act  on  his  part  that 
was  unbecoming  a  gentleman  and  an  honorable 
man,  except  his  conduct  at  the  time  of  the  wreck- 
ing of  the  Osceola.  His  cowardice  and  selfish- 
ness manifested  at  that  time,  had  created  a  de- 
cided aversion  toward  him.  She  had  never  ad- 
mired him,  but  had  treated  him  with  courtesy 
solely  to  please  her  mother,  and  she  had  con- 
sented to  his  choice  as  adviser  and  friend  and 
had  signed  the  power  of  attorney,  not  because 
she  had  confidence  in  his  integrity  so  much,  as 
she  had  a  desire  to  please  her  mother,  to  whom 
she  was  devotedly  attached. 

The  following  morning  Mrs.  Higsbee  re- 
membered that  she  had  forgotten  to  hand  to 
Mr.  Lawson  some  legal  papers  pertaining  to  the 
suit  pending  in  Omaha  which  had  fortunately 
been  saved  from  the  wreck,  having  been  among 
some  of  her  personal  belongings.  She  had  ex- 
pected him  to  call  for  a  final  good-bye  as  he 
had  said  he  might  do,  but  as  the  morning  wore 
away  and  he  did  not  make  his  appearance,  she 


HENRY    ASHTON  91 

decided  to  walk  to  the  depot,  but  a  block  distant, 
and  deliver  the  papers  before  his  departure. 
Upon  declaring  her  intention,  Lilly  remarked  that 
she  would  accompany  her  mother  and  take  a 
little  needed  exercise  in  the  morning  air. 

The  train  was  scheduled  to  leave  at  10:30  a.  m. 
Quite  a  number  of  passengers  had  already 
arrived  preparatory  to  the  taking  of  the  train. 
As  Lawson  had  not  yet  made  his  appearance 
the  two  ladies  took  a  seat  in  the  waiting  room 
near  an  open  window.  A  few  moments  later 
Lawson  alighted  from  a  hack  near  them  but  did 
not  notice  them.  While  giving  orders  as  to  the 
checking  of  his  baggage,  a  young  man  stepped 
forward  and  addressed  him,  saying: 

"Look  here,  Mr.  Lawson,  I  see  you  are  about 
to  leave  the  city,  you  have  forgotten  to  pay  me 
that  $1.50  for  that  little  job  of  printing  I  did  for 
you." 

"What  printing?"  said  Lawson.  "I  did  have 
two  or  three  little  jobs  done  at  your  office,  but  I 
paid  you  for  them.     I  don't  owe  you  anything." 

"Yes  you  do,"  warmly  responded  the  printer. 
"You  owe  me  for  the  last  job,  for  printing  that 
little  slip  containing  some  reading  matter  about 
an  empty  boat  being  found  near  Santa  Cruz  be- 
longing to  the  wrecked  Osceola." 

"All  right,"  said  Lawson,  lowering  his  voice, 
"but  I  thought  I  had  paid  you.  Here  is  your 
money ;  I  quite  forgot  it.  That's  all  right.  Don't 
forget  though,  that  that  was  a  private,  confiden- 
tial business  transaction.  No  outside  talk  about 
it,  remember!" 

"All  right,"  said  the  printer,  as  he  received 
his  dues,  mounted  his  bicycle  and  rode  away. 


92  HENRY    ASHTON 

Miss  Higsbee,  who  was  sitting  nearest  the 
open  window,  heard  the  entire  conversation,  but 
her  mother,  whose  attention  was  directed  else- 
where, overheard  nothing  that  transpired  between 
the  men.  Soon  after  this  on  going  to  the  door  she 
saw  that  Lawson  had  arrived,  when  she  delivered 
the  papers  to  him  just  as  the  conductor  of  the 
train  gave  the  signal  to  start. 

As  the  two  women  returned  to  their  hotel  Mrs. 
Higsbee  seemed  much  more  cheerful  than  at  any 
time  since  her  great  bereavement,  but  Lilly  was 
more  reticent  than  usual.  Her  mother  talked 
of  their  intended  trip  to  the  southward,  of  certain 
wearing  apparel  to  be  purchased,  and  wondered 
if  they  would  find  San  Francisco  so  congenial  to 
rhem  that  they  would  be  contented  to  remain  in 
that  city  for  several  months.  Lilly  heard  but 
little  of  what  her  mother  was  saying.  That  con- 
versation at  the  depot  between  Lawson  and  the 
printer  was  still  ringing  in  her  ears.  Almost 
audibly  she  thought :  What  did  that  young  man 
mean  when  he  said.  "The  bill  is  for  printing 
that  slip  about  an  empty  boat  being  found  be- 
longing to  the  steamer  Osceola."  Can  it  be  pos- 
sible that  no  such  account  was  ever  printed  in  a 
newspaper,  that  no  such  empty  boat  was  found, 
that  what  purported  to  be  the  writing  of  Henry 
Ashton  on  a  little  bit  of  wood  was  a  wicked  for- 
gery? Can  it  be  that  Thomas  Lawson  is  a  vil- 
lian  and  that  we  are  his  victims?  Oh,  if  that 
was  all  a  lie,  then  my  beloved  may  not  be  dead ; 
then  my  dear  father  may  be  alive,  and  if  they 
are,  we  may  yet  be  reunited.  But  no,  no,  that 
cannot  be.  They  are  not  among  the  living  for 
if  they  are  they  would  have  sought  and  found 


HENRY    ASHTON  93 

us  ere  this.  The  article  shown  us  by  Lawson, 
giving  an  account  of  the  finding  of  the  empty 
boat,  must  have  been  true,  and  the  bill  for  the 
printing  must  have  been  for  something  else.  It 
may  be  that  my  ears  deceived  me.  It  may  be 
that  the  grief  I  have  recently  suffered  has  in 
some  measure  disordered  my  mind,  and  yet  I 
thought  I  distinctly  heard  the  printer  say  that 
"the  bill  is  for  printing  that  slip  containing  read- 
ing matter,  something  about  an  empty  boat  be- 
ing found  that  belonged  to  the  Osceola." 

For  many  days  Miss  Higsbee  pondered  over 
the  matter.  Sometimes  she  believed  that  Tom 
Lawson  was  a  villian  and  had  concocted  a  cun- 
ning lie  about  the  finding  of  the  boat,  and  that 
her  father  and  Ashton  might  still  be  alive,  while 
at  other  times  she  succumbed  to  despondent 
thoughts  and  reasoned  that  she  might  have  mis- 
understood the  meaning  of  the  conversation  be- 
tween Lawson  and  the  printer.  In  her  calmer 
moments  when  mentally  more  composed  and  har- 
monious, she  seemed  to  have  an  intuition  or  im- 
pression that  Lawson  was  not  a  man  to  be  trusted. 

During  the  next  two  weeks  nothing  of  especial 
interest  transpired  affecting  Mrs.  Higsbee  and 
daughter.  They  had  made  no  acquaintances  in 
Portland.  They  left  their  rooms  only  as  they 
went  out  for  a  promenade  and  to  secure  the  ben- 
efit of  the  fresh  air  and  sunlight  and  to  change 
the  monotony  of  existence.  The  time  appointed 
for  their  departure  for  San  Francisco  drew  nigh. 
But  little  preparation  was  necessary  for  the  jour- 
ney, and  on  the  fifteenth  day  after  Lawson  left 
Portland,  they  were  on  their  way  to  the  great 
metropolis  of  the  Pacific  coast.      They  arrived  in 


94  HENRY   ASHTON 

the  city  in  the  morning,  and  spent  several  hours 
in  seeking  a  lodging  place  to  their  liking.  This 
they  succeeded  in  doing  with  but  little  incon- 
venience or  trouble  and  in  due  time  found  them- 
selves pleasantly  located  in  a  suite  of  rooms  in 
a  quiet  and  well  conducted  hotel  on  Ellis  street. 
Though  much  of  the  time  they  were  weighed 
down  by  their  deep  sorrow,  yet,  they  went  out 
nearly  every  day  visiting  the  parks  and  other 
places  of  interest  with  which  the  city  is  so  gen- 
erously supplied.  •  They  took  short  and  frequent 
excursions  across  the  bay  to  Alameda,  located  on 
an  island,  and  one  of  the  most  delightful  cities 
of  North  America,  and  to  the  various  pleasure 
resorts  near  by.  This  was  their  routine  life  for 
several  weeks  with  little  to  disturb  its  monotony. 
Two  or  three  letters  had  been  received  from 
Thomas  Lawson  written  at  Omaha.  In  the  first 
one  he  stated  that  he  had  safely  arrived  and 
would  proceed  without  delay  to  attend  to  the 
business  entrusted  to  his  care.  Subsequent  ones 
were  addressed  to  Mrs.  Higsbee  or  to  Lilly  which 
were,  for  the  greater  part,  devoted  to  declarations 
of  love;  undying  love,  for  Miss  Lilly  and  the 
profoundest  respect  for  her  mother. 


HENRY    ASHTON  95 


CHAPTER  XII. 

LAWSON  LOSES  AT  OMAHA  A  LARGE  SUM  OF  MONEY 
— VICTIMIZED  BY  GAMBLERS. 

Let  the  reader  now,  for  a  time,  take  leave  of 
Mrs.  Higsbee  and  her  daughter,  and  go  with  the 
writer  to  Omaha,  and  make  note  of  the  move- 
ments of  Lawson.  We  may  be  assured  that  that 
accomplished  rogue  is  not  idle.  On  arriving  in 
that  city  and  getting  located,  he  began  immedi- 
ately to  inform  himself  as  to  the  status  of  the 
law  case  of  "James  Higsbee  vs.  The  Burlington 
&  Missouri  River  Railroad  Company."  He  called 
upon  the  chief  attorney  of  that  corporation  and 
exhibited  to  him  the  power  of  attorney  by  the 
widow  and  daughter  of  the  late  Jas.  Higsbee, 
and  during  his  interview  with  that  official  inad- 
vertently remarked  that  he  had  come  to  the  city 
with  instructions  to  push  the  case  to  trial  immedi- 
ately, and  if  necessary  to  carry  it  to  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  State  and  of  the  United  States,  and 
that  he  had  been  supplied  with  all  the  funds  that 
might  be  necessary  to  carry  on  the  litigation  to 
the  highest  tribunal.  ''This  bold  bluffing,"  he 
reasoned  to  himself,  "will  frighten  the  railway 
official  and  cause  him  to  make  some  overtures 
looking  to  a  compromise.  He  calculated  cor- 
rectly, for  after  several  interviews  and  the  exer- 
cise of  no  small  amount  of  strategy  on  both  sides, 
the  corporation  proposed  to  pay  the  widow  and 
heirs  of  James  Higsbee  the  sum  of  $38,500,  if 
Mr.   Lawson,   their  legal   representative,   would 


96  HENRY    ASHTON 

withdraw  the  suit.  Besides  this  sum  they  would 
pay  in  full  the  accrued  costs.  For  several  days 
Lawson  insisted  upon  the  payment  of  $50,000, 
and  costs,  but  finally  accepted  the  company's 
offer  and  settled  the  litigation.  Within  ten  days 
after  his  arrival  in  Omaha  Lawson  received  a 
check  for  $38,500,  when  he  withdrew  the  suit 
and  made  the  proper  entries  showing  full  settle- 
ment on  the  court  docket. 

Tom  Lawson  now  had  plenty  of  money  and  he 
proposed  to  enjoy  himself.  Never  before  had 
he  got  possession  of  so  large  a  sum  of  money 
with  so  little  trouble,  and  by  methods  which  could 
not  by  any  stretch  of  imagination  get  him  into 
any  serious  difficulty.  Did  he  not  have  the 
proper  legal  authority  from  Mrs.  Higsbee  and  her 
daughter,  to  adjust  this  business  in  any  manner 
that  his  judgment  approved?  Certainly.  "I 
have,"  said  Lawson  to  himself,  "heretofore  com- 
mitted forgeries  and  thus  raised  the  cash,  but 
this  time  my  authority  was  proper  and  legal. 
My  power  of  attorney  was  all  right,"  and  as  he 
said  this,  he  approvingly  and  gleefully  slapped 
himself,  and  ejaculated :  "By  thunder,  Tom 
Lawson,  that  was  smooth  work;  it  took  clever- 
ness to  hatch  out  that  little  scheme  and  to  carry 
it  into  execution,  but  you  had  the  brains  and  the 
courage  to  do  it.  There  is  nobody  to  make  me 
trouble  about  it  except  old  Mrs.  Higsbee,  the 
simple  old  goose,  and  Lilly,  the  pretty  lassie  that 
she  is,  but  I  can  manage  them.  Still,  if  the  old 
Colonel  or  that  Lawyer  Batty  should  turn  up, 
or  Ashton,  that  hated  rival  of  mine,  they  might 
annoy  me  some,  but  it  has  now  been  several 
weeks  since  the  shipwreck,  and  they  would  have 


HENRY    ASHTOX  97 

put  in  an  appearance  before  this  time  if  they  had 
been  picked  up  and  are  alive.  No,  no,  they  went 
to  the  bottom  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  that's  pretty 
certain.  Poor,  old,  silly  Mrs.  Higsbee,  and  dear, 
pretty,  lovely  Lilly,  they  have  been  sure  of  it 
since  that  sleek  work  of  mine  in  showing  them 
the  printed  slip  which  gave  an  account  of  the 
finding  of  the  empty  boat." 

As  Thomas  Lawson  is  a  prominent  character 
in  this  history  of  the  wrecking  of  the  Osceola, 
our  readers  doubtless  have  a  curiosity  to  know 
something  of  his  early  life  and  antecedents.  But 
little  is  known  of  him  by  the  one  who  was  en- 
gaged to  write  this  story,  till  after  he  had  attained 
to  young  manhood.  This  much  was  learned: 
He  was  the  son  of  a  clergyman  in  an  interior  town 
of  New  Jersey,  and  left  home  at  an  early  age, 
and  soon  after  the  death  of  his  mother.  From 
a  child  it  was  said  of  him  that  he  was  unreliable 
and  tricky.  Getting  into  some  trouble  in  his 
native  State  he  went  to  England  to  escape  arrest. 
Several  years  later  he  turned  up  in  Peru,  South 
America,  where  he  married  a  young  Spanish  girl 
whose  father  was  wealthy.  In  about  two  years 
he  deserted  his  wife  and  child,  and  hastily  left 
the  country  taking  with  him  about  $20,000  in 
money  which  he  secured  from  a  bank  by  forging 
the  signature  of  his  father-in-law  on  a  check. 
His  next  escapade,  so  far  as  the  author  has  been 
able  to  ascertain,  was  in  Montreal,  Canada,  where 
he  served  a  year's  imprisonment  for  swindling. 
Though  his  full  name  was  Thomas  Lawson  Hart- 
well,  yet  where  it  served  his  purpose  better  to 
adopt  an  alias  he  adopted  one.  He  had  been  in 
Melbourne  but  a  few  months  before  the  sailing 


98  HENRY    ASHTON 

of  the  Osceola  from  that  port  mentioned  in  a 
previous  chapter. 

After  Lawson  had  compromised  the  suit  at 
Omaha  and  had  come  into  possession  of  $38,500, 
he  said  to  himself : 

"Now  I  shall  cast  all  worry  to  the  winds  and 
have  a  rest  and  a  good  time  for  awhile.  Tom, 
you  are  a  smart  financier.  You  have  had  your 
ups  and  downs,  but  just  now  you  are  up.  You 
are  in  luck  old  boy,  and  you  deserve  to  be 
treated  to  a  good  time  and  you  shall  be.  Let  me 
see !  As  your  clothing  is  beginning  to  look  a 
little  shabby  you  must  have  about  the  sleekest 
suit  of  clothes  that  Omaha  tailors  can  get  up; 
then  you  will  be  ready  to  take  in  the  theaters, 
to  form  the  acquaintance  of  the  sporting  fratern- 
ity of  both  sexes,  and  see  what  is  going  on  in 
this  town  in  the  way  of  gaming.  You  have  not 
always."  he  continued,  "been  lucky  with  cards, 
but  sometimes  you  have  been,  and  as  things  seem 
just  now  to  be  coming  your  way,  perhaps  you 
can  win  back  some  of  what  you  have  lost  hereto- 
fore." 

This  programme  he  proceeded  to  carry  into 
execution,  and  in  a  few  days  he  might  have 
been  seen  promenading  the  principal  streets  or  at 
places  of  popular  resort,  attired  in  a  suit  of  the 
latest  style  and  of  finest  material.  He  occupied 
the  most  expensive  box-seats  at  the  theaters,  had 
established  his  headquarters  at  the  best  hotel, 
drove  a  spirited  and  handsome  team  of  horses 
and  spent  money  lavishly  at  the  fashionable 
saloons.  It  was  therefore  but  a  short  time  be- 
fore he  had  a  score  or  more  of  admirers  and 
chums — men   and   women   of  the    classes    with 


HENRY    ASHTON  99 

whom  he  mingled.  Among  these  were  three  pro- 
fessional gamblers — Jerry  Welch,  Sam  Osborn 
and  Bill  Jordan.  The  quartette  frequently  met 
and  spent  a  part  and  sometimes  nearly  all  the 
hours  of  the  night  at  cards,  poker  being  their 
favorite  game.  The  stakes  were  not  large  at 
first,  but  on  two  or  three  occasions  the  pot  rep- 
resented several  hundred  dollars.  At  these  sit- 
tings quite  a  quantity  of  the  best  brands  of  cham- 
pagne were  provided  and  toward  the  close  of  the 
game  the  players  were  not  only  decidedly  hila- 
rious but  often  reckless.  Lawson's  three  com- 
panions were  professionals  with  the  cards,  and 
they  were  not  long  in  discovering  that  he  was 
not  a  match  for  them  but  he  had  more  money 
than  they,  and  each  individually  and  all  collec- 
tively, were  adroitly  maneuvering  to  transfer  as 
many  dollars  as  possible  from  his  pocket  to  their 
own.  The  gaming  went  on  two  and  three  nights 
each  week,  Lawson  sometimes  winning  but 
oftener  losing.  Disinterested  spectators  who 
had  been  observing  how  the  playing  was  progres- 
sing, knew  that  the  three  professionals  had  a 
trap  set  for  Lawson  and  would  spring  it  at  the 
right  time.  The  fateful  night  finally  came.  The 
four  met  early  and  the  trio  had  their  plans  care- 
fully matured.  Bill  Jordan  declared  that  as  he 
was  not  feeling  very  well  it  was  his  intention  to 
go  home  early — he  didn't  care  to  play  late,  if 
at  all,  but  felt  like  "irrigating  a  bit." 

"Come  on  boys,"  he  said,  "and  let's  have  some- 
thing." All  accepted  the  cordial  invitation  with 
alacrity  and  ranged  themselves  in  front  of  the 
bar.  After  they  had  drank  and  chatted  a  mo- 
ment,   Sam   Osborn   said,   "Have   another   with 


100  HENRY    ASHTON 

me,"  and  they  had  it,  and  then  it  was  Welch's 
turn  to  order  the  fiery  liquid  followed  by  Lawson, 
and  later  on  by  Jordan  again.  One  thing  escaped 
the  notice  of  Lawson  on  this  convivial  occasion, 
and  that  was,  that  while  he,  each  time,  filled  his 
glass  to  the  brim  with  whisky  and  drained  it  to 
the  last  drop,  his  companions  drank  very  little 
though  dexterously  going  through  the  motions 
of  swallowing  as  much  liquor  as  he.  When  the 
four  took  their  seats  at  the  table  and  the  cards 
were  brought  out,  Lawson  was  not  in  a  fit  con- 
dition to  play  an  honest  game,  if  there  be  any 
honest  games,  much  less  was  he  prepared  to 
hold  his  own  against  three  sharpers  who  had  con- 
spired together  to  fleece  him  and  were  them- 
selves sober.  It  had  been  agreed  between  Os- 
born,  Welch  and  Jordan,  that  Lawson  was  to  be 
permitted  to  win  most  of  the  stakes  till  he  became 
emboldened  and  reckless,  and  then  when  enough 
was  at  stake,  the  trap  was  to  be  sprung,  and  Jor- 
dan was  to  win  the  pile  which  would  afterwards 
be  divided  among  the  three.  This  program  was 
carried  out  until  after  the  midnight  hour. 
When  the  enthusiasm  began  to  abate  a  round  of 
champagne  was  indulged  in  and  the  ball  kept 
rolling.  Lawson  won  the  first  $100.00,  then  he 
lost  $50.00.  Again  he  increased  his  wealth  to 
$250.00,  again  he  suffered  a  small  loss,  and  so 
the  game  went  on,  Lawson  becoming  more  and 
still  more  excited,  risking  greater  and  still  greater 
amounts  even  on  poor  cards.  The  conspirators 
were  now  ready  to  spring  their  trap.  It  was 
Welch's  turn  to  deal  the  cards.  He  was  a  most 
skillful  manipulator  of  the  pasteboards.  Before 
the  game  began  he  had  provided  two  packs  of 


HENRY    ASHTON  101 

cards  exactly  alike.  One  pack  he  had  in  his 
pocket.  When  it  came  his  time  to  deal  he 
adroitly  substituted  the  cards  he  had  concealed 
for  the  ones  that  had  been  in  use.  They  had 
been  "fixed."  He  dealt  Lawson  four  kings  and 
Jordan  four  aces.  When  Lawson  looked  at  his 
cards  he  became  very  much  excited  and  blurted 
out :  "Fellers,  I  will  bet  you  $10,000  on  this 
hand ;  here  is  the  money  who  dares  to  cover  it  ?" 

"Now,  see  here,  Tom  Lawson,"  said  Jordan, 
"you  have  been  bluffing  all  evening;  you  have 
won  several  times  by  scaring  us.  I  believe  you 
are  bluffing  now.  I  don't  propose  that  you 
frighten  me  any  longer.  I  take  that  bet  and  go 
you  $10,000  more,"  as  he  laid  down  a  pile  of 
what  purported  to  be  good  money,  but  which  in 
facts  were  counterfeits. 

"All  right!"  yelled  Lawson,  as  he  drew  from 
his  pocket  another  roll  of  money,  and  counted 
out  $10,000  and  laid  it  on  the  stack  of  bills  in 
the  center  of  the  table,  and  "now — hie — I  bet 
you  $10,000  more,"  and  rising  to  his  feet,  he 
threw  another  $10,000  down,  bringing  his  hand 
down  on  the  table  with  great  force  as  he  did 
so  and,  "I  dare  you  to  cover  that." 

"I  will  do  it,  Mr.  Lawson,"  said  Jordan,  as  he 
placed  on  top  of  the  pile  a  number  of  counter- 
feit bank  notes,  "and  now  I  call  you." 

At  this,  Lawson  with  a  triumphant  air  threw 
down  his  four  kings  and  reached  for  the  stack 
of  money. 

"Hold  on  there,  Tom  Lawson,"  said  Jordan, 
"Your  four  kings  are  not  in  it  against  my  four 
aces,"  and  he  threw  down  his  cards,  reached  for 
the  bills  and  with  a  swift  motion  swept  them 


102  HENRY    ASHTON 

into  a  sack  he  had  taken  from  his  pocket,  and 
sprang  to  his  feet.  As  he  did  so  his  two  fellow 
conspirators  quickly  arose  from  their  seats  and 
the  three  hurriedly  left  the  room  and  the  house. 
Be-fuddled  as  Lawson's  brain  was,  he  knew 
that  according  to  the  rules  of  the  game  that  he 
had  lost,  as  two  pairs  of  aces  are  higher  than 
two  pairs  of  kings,  but  he  was  too  much  under 
the  influence  of  liquor  to  know  whether  he  had 
been  beaten  fairly  or  was  the  victim  of  a  trick. 
Neither  did  he  then  realize  how  much  money  he 
had  lost,  but  drunk  as  he  was,  he  was  conscious 
of  the  fact  that  he  had  parted  from  a  large 
sum.  He  slowly  arose  from  his  seat,  after  his 
late  companions  had  disappeared,  and,  walking 
to  the  other  side  of  the  room,  sat  down  on  a 
chair,  clapped  his  hands  to  his  head  and  began 
cursing  his  luck ;  then  for  a  time  he  walked  to 
and  fro  across  the  floor  trying  to  think  out  how 
he  had  lost.  Finally,  muttering  to  himself  that 
he  "was  a  fool — that  he  was  drunk" — he  left  the 
place  with  a  confused  brain  and  unsteady  steps 
and  made  his  way  to  his  hotel  and  to  his  bed 
where  during  the  following  ten  hours  or 
more  he  slept  off  the  effects  of  the  drink.  After 
he  had  sobered  up  and  gone  all  over  in  his  mem- 
ory the  events  of  the  night  previous  as  near  as  he 
could  recall  them,  he  *ook  from  an  inside  pocket  a 
purse  and  counted  the  money  he  had  left.  He 
had  got  out  of  the  Higsbee  affair  $38,500.  He 
had  expended  a  large  sum  in  extravagant  living, 
and  the  night  before  had  parted  with  $30,000. 
He  found  that  but  $964  remained.  After  going 
over  the  money  two  or  three  times  and  sitting 
for  some  time  in  a  meditative  mood  he  muttered : 


HENRY    ASHTON  103 

"Tom  Lawson  Hartwell,  you  are  a  fool — yes,  an 
infernal  fool.  You  are  worse  than  that,  you  are 
a  brainless  idiot.  Why  didn't  you  have  sense 
enough  to  keep  sober  last  night,  or  at  least  sober 
enough  to  know  what  was  going  on.  You  have 
been  done  up;  you  have  been  skinned  and  you 
are  yourself  to  be  blamed  for  it.  You  was 
cheated;  you  was  victimized,  but  you  was  drunk 
and  you  might  have  expected  such  treatment. 
Well,  it  is  mighty  lucky  for  you  that  the  game 
ended  where  it  did  otherwise  you  would  not  have 
a  dollar  left.  I  congratulate  you  that  you  are 
not  dead  broke.  You  won't  have  to  beg  nor  steal 
for  a  little  while  anyway;  $964  is  not  a  large 
amount,  but  it  is  enough  to  constitute  a  basis 
for  future  operations,  but  you  must  leave  Omaha 
at  once  or  you  will  be  wanting  to  try  to  win  some 
of  that  money  back.  Poker  is  just  a  trifle  too  ex- 
citing for  you  besides  these  Omaha  sports  are 
too  smooth  for  an  amateur  like  you.  Yes,  I  will 
leave  this  town  and  leave  soon." 

Within  twenty-four  hours  after  Lawson  de- 
cided to  quit  Omaha,  he  was  on  his  way  to  Den- 
ver. He  had  no  well  matured  plans  as  to  what 
he  would  do  in  that  city  but  having  a  versatility 
of  talents  for  getting  money  easily,  he  decided 
to  stop  there  for  a  time  and  see  what  might  turn 
up.  He  thought  of  many  schemes  but  none 
seemed  to  promise  great  results.  At  the  close 
of  one  of  his  protracted  and  earnest  meditations 
he  ejaculated :  "Yes,  I  secured  a  snug  sum  from 
that  Higsbee  business  but  there  is  a  million  or 
two  in  that  estate  yet.  I  see  no  field  for  opera- 
tions more  inviting  than  that.  How  to  get  hold 
of  a  lot  of  that  money,  that  is  the  problem.       If 


104  HENRY    ASHTON 

Lilly  would  marry  me  the  solution  would  be 
easy.  I  have  already  made  good  progress  toward 
the  consummation  of  that  plan.  Her  mother  is 
infatuated  with  me  and  is  using  all  the  influence 
she  can  command  with  her  daughter  in  my  favor ; 
moreover,  Lilly  herself  has  not  positively  refused 
me.  In  fact  she  has  made  a  conditional  prom- 
ise to  become  my  wife.  Her  only  demand  was 
that  the  marriage  he  postponed  a  year  after  which 
she  might  consent  to  marry  me.  Now  how  can 
I  bring  about  that  desirable  event  sooner.  That's 
the  problem.  Let  me  see?  Her  mother  has 
great  influence  with  her  and  is  exerting  it  favor- 
ably for  me ;  that  is  one  important  point  gained. 
Now,  if  in  some  way  I  could  make  Lilly  believe 
that  it  was  also  the  wish  of  her  father  that  she 
should  accept  my  proposal  I  would  consider  the 
riddle  pretty  nearly  solved.  But  Col.  Higsbee  is 
dead,  or  probably  is.  I  might  tell  Lilly  that  her 
father  informed  me  that  he  very  much  desired 
her  to  marry  me  but  that  would  not  have  the 
weight  of  the  Colonel's  own  words.  While  he 
did  favor  my  suit  for  the  hand  of  his  daughter, 
it  would  seem  that  he  never  told  her  that  it  was 
his  wish  that  she  should  marry  me.  If  I  had  a 
letter  that  he  had  written  or  a  writing  of  some 
sort  to  exhibit  to  her  containing  such  a  request, 
that  would  greatly  assist  me  in  the  scheme.  Ah, 
why  not  write  such  a  letter  myself,  and  tell  her 
I  had  found  it  among  his  papers,  or,  that  he  had 
delievered  it  to  me?  But  that  would  hardly  do 
for  she  would  most  likely  inquire  why  I  had  not 
so  informed  her  before.  She  might  be  suspi- 
cious of  its  genuineness.     Now,  how  can  I  write 


HENRY    ASHTON  105 

such  a  letter  and  account  for  the  manner  of  its 
coming  into  my  possession? 

"I  have  it !  I  have  it !  I  will  put  up  a  story 
that,  say  two  men  who  were  in  the  boat  that 
took  Col.  Higsbee  from  the  Osceola  made  their 
escape  and  they  had  been  entrusted  by  the  Colonel 
with  a  letter  addressed  to  his  wife  and  daugh- 
ter, and  that  letter  shall  contain  the  dying  request 
of  Col.  Higsbee  that  Lilly  shall  become  my  wife. 
Good !  Tom  Lawson  Hartwell,  that  is  a  capital 
idea !  You  may  not  be  an  expert  at  poker,  espe- 
cially when  you  are  drunk,  but  you  are  decidedly 
clever — you  are  a  born  diplomat.  You  ought  to 
have  been  a  lawyer  and  gone  to  Congress.  I  can 
easily  bribe  two  fellows  for  a  little  gold  and  a 
few  drinks  of  gin,  to  play  the  part  of  rescued 
sailors  from  the  boat,  who  will  swear  to  what  I 
want  them  to  say.  Yes,  that  is  a  clever  scheme 
and  whether  it  wins  or  fails  it  is  worth  trying." 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

A    FORGED    INSTRUMENT    PURPORTING    TO    BE    COL. 

higsbee' s  last  will. 

Putting  into  execution  his  idea  of  forgery 
Lawson  wrote  out  the  following  : 

"I,  James  Higsbee,  am  a  victim  of  the  wrecked 
steamer  Osceola.  Death  seems  certain.  If  this 
writing  is  found  I  request  the  finder  to  send  it  to 
my  wife,  Mary  Higsbee,  Melbourne,  Australia, 
or  my  daughter  Lilly  of  the  same  place,  in  care 
of  the    United    States  Consul    of    Australia.     I 


106  HENRY    ASHTON 

give  and  bequeath  all  my  property  both  real  and 
personal  to  them  equally.  If  they  are  not  living, 
I  bequeath  the  same  to  Thomas  Lawson,  whom  I 
recognize  as  the  accepted  lover  and  prospective 
husband  of  my  daughter  Lilly.  It  is  my  dying 
wish  that  my  daughter  Lilly,  if  living,  becomes 
the  wife  of  Thomas  Lawson  in  whom  I  repose  the 
fullest  confidence.     Adieu, 

'•JAMES  HIGSBEE." 

"There,"  said  Lawson,  to  himself,  "that's  a 
clever  scheme,  and  one  that  I  will  make  win. 
Now  for  the  villains  who  will  swear  that  Col. 
Higsbee  wrote  that  and  gave  it  to  them." 

Very  soon  after  the  turning  on  of  the  gas 
lights  of  the  city,  Lawson,  well  disguised,  left  his 
hotel  and  made  his  way  to  one  of  the  saloons 
two  or  three  blocks  distant.  After  ordering  a 
drink  he  took  a  seat  in  the  billiard  rooms  adjoin- 
ing and  ran  his  eye  over  the  men  engaged  in 
the  play  and  scrutinized  the  countenances  of  the 
loungers  and  lookers-on.  Men  were  passing  in 
and  out  and  none  escaped  his  attention.  For 
nearly  two  hours  he  saw  no  man  to  whom  he 
thought  he  would  like  to  submit  his  proposition. 
Finally  his  eye  rested  on  one  fellow  who  occu- 
pied a  chair  in  the  corner,  smoking  a  cheap  cigar. 
His  face  looked  familiar ;  he  thought  to  him- 
self, "I  have  seen  that  man  before  but  where?" 
He  walked  over  to  the  other  side  and  came  near 
to  him.  Now  he  had  a  better  opportunity  to 
scan  his  features. 

"Yes,"  he  said  to  himself,  "I  am  not  mistaken, 
that  is  Dick  Stanton,  who  served  a  three  years' 
term  of  imprisonment  in  the  penitentiary  in  Mon- 


HENRY   ASHTON  107 

treal  for  burglary,  and  who  was  discharged  from 
prison  on  the  same  day  I  was  let  out.  We  sat 
near  each  other  at  the  convicts'  table.  He  does 
not  recognize  me,  but  will  I  think  when  I  talk  to 
him."  He  walked  up  to  the  man's  side,  touched 
him  on  the  shoulder  and  in  a  low  voice,  said : 
"Howdy  do,  Dick,  where  did  you  come  from." 
The  man  looked  up  quickly  and  with  a  nervous 
start,  and  peered  into  his  questioner's  face. 
"Don't  you  know  me,"  asked  Lawson.  "Well, 
hardly,"  answered  the  man.  "Your  face  has  a 
familiar  look  but  I  cannot  quite  place  you/' 

"Come,  let  us  have  something,"  said  Lawson, 
"and  I  will  help  you  to  recall  the  time  and  place 
where  you  knew  me,"  and  the  two  men  drew 
up  to  the  bar.  After  Lawson  had  paid  for  the 
drinks  he  said : 

"Now,  Dick,  let  us  get  away  from  the  crowd 
a  bit  and  have  a  chat  about  old  times  at  Mon- 
treal." At  this,  Stanton's  face  brightened,  and 
slapping  Lawson  on  the  shoulder,  said :  "Ah, 
now  I  remember  you,  Pard.  You  were  Jack 
White  then,  but  may  be  that's  not  yer  name  now." 
"No,"  said  Lawson,  "but  don't  speak  too  loud. 
My  name  now  is  Thomas  Lawson,  Esq.,  and  I 
am  a  capitalist  and  in  love.  Come,  let's  sit  down 
and  I  will  tell  you  about  it." 

They  found  a  quiet  corner  and  the  conversa- 
tion was  continued  for  some  time.  Lawson  in- 
formed his  friend  that  he  had  a  little  scheme 
in  contemplation. 

"If  it  succeeds  it  will  make  me  a  million,  and 
if  I  get  the  money  I  will  take  good  care  of  the 
fellows  who  assist  me  in  securing  it,  but  it  can- 
not be  a  success  unless  I  can  get  two  men  to  make 


108  HENRY    ASHTON 

such  statements  under  oath  as  I  may  dictate. 
Then  he  drew  from  his  pocket  the  writing  pur- 
porting to  be  that  executed  by  James  Higsbee  and 
explained  that  he  wanted  two  men  to  swear  that 
Col.  Higsbee  had  in  person  delivered  that  iden- 
tical paper  to  them.  "Dick,"  said  Lawson,  "I 
will  give  you  $5.00  to  make  an  affidavit  as  I  have 
indicated  and  I  will  pay  $5.00  to  any  one  of  your 
friends  for  a  like  service.  Will  you  do  it,  and 
if  so,  can  you  find  the  other  fellow  ?" 

"You  bet  your  life,"  said  Stanton.  "I  am 
nearly  dead  broke  now  and  am  just  looking  for 
something  to  turn  up  through  which  I  can  make 
a  raise.  Write  out  what  you  want  me  to  sign  and 
I  will  slap  down  my  name  for  $5.00  so  quick  it 
will  make  you  dizzy,  and  I'll  fetch  you  the  other 
feller  in  short  meter  who'll  do  the  same  for  that 
amount  of  collateral." 

"All  right,"  replied  Lawson,  "You  bring  your 
friend  and  if  you  help  me  out  in  this  I'll  take 
good  care  of  you  fellows." 

It  was  arranged  that  the  parties  should  meet  at 
the  same  place  on  the  following  evening  at  10:00 
p.  m.,  when  the  business  would  be  completed. 
After  another  drink  at  the  bar,  the  two  men  sep- 
arated, and  Lawson  returned  to  his  hotel  to  draw 
up  the  writing  to  which  he  wished  the  men  to 
make  oath.  He  spent  the  remainder  of  the  even- 
ing in  preparing  the  following : 

"To  Whom  it  May  Concern,  Greeting : — We 
the  undersigned,  being  duly  sworn,  depose  and 
say,  that  on  the  third  of  March  of  the  present  year 
we  shipped  as  common  seamen  on  the  steamship 
Osceola,  at  Melbourne,  Australia,  bound  for  San 
Francisco,  Cal.     When  about  eighteen  days  out 


HENRY    ASHTON  109 

we  encountered  a  severe  storm ;  our  ship  sprang 
a  leak  and  went  down.  Four  small  boats  were 
loaded  by  passengers  and  crew.  Among  others 
who  were  in  our  small  boat  was  an  elderly  gentle- 
man whose  name  we  learned  was  Col.  James 
Higsbee,  of  Melbourne,  Australia,  and  a  young 
man,  an  engineer  by  occupation,  whom  the  elder- 
ly gentleman  addressed  as  Henry  Ashton.  Our 
boat  was  separated  from  the  other  three 
boats.  After  contending  with  a  very  boisterous 
sea  for  about  twenty-four  hours,  most  of  our 
companions  were  exhausted  and  ill.  Col.  Higs- 
bee being  well  advanced  in  years,  was  very  feeble 
and  despondent.  We  at  one  time  overheard  a 
conversation  between  him  and  Ashton  and  the 
elderly  man  seemed  very  much  offended  at  the 
young  man.  Later  when  there  was  somewhat  of 
a  lull  of  the  wind  and  waves,  the  elderly  gentle- 
man asked  if  any  one  in  the  boat  had  a  scrap  of 
paper  and  pencil.  One  man  had  such  articles 
and  gave  them  to  Mr.  Higsbee,  who  soon  after 
used  them  in  writing.  We,  the  affiants,  being 
experienced  sailors  knew  that  our  boat  was  over- 
loaded and  was  liable  to  be  capsized  in  so  rough 
a  sea.  We  being  expert  swimmers,  and  having 
noticed  what  appeared  to  be  several  planks  lashed 
together  a  short  distance  from  our  boat,  decided 
to  swim  to  the  raft  and  try  in  that  way  to  reach 
the  shore  if  we  should  not  be  discovered  and 
saved  by  some  passing  ship.  We  so  announced 
our  intention  to  our  companions.  Just  before  we 
made  the  plunge,  Mr.  Higsbee  asked  if  one  of 
us  would  take  a  piece  of  writing  which  he  had 
put  in  a  leather  purse,  and  if  we  ever  reached 
shore  to  try  and  find  his  wife  and  daughter  and 


110  HENRY    ASHTON 

deliver  it  to  them.  We  freely  gave  our  assent 
and  Richard  Stanton,  one  of  the  affiants  hereto, 
procured  a  cord  and  suspended  the  sack  to  his 
neck.  We  then  sprang  into  the  water  and  swam 
to  the  raft  which  we  found  to  be  larger  than 
we  had  supposed,  and  we  were  pleased  with  our 
changed  condition.  The  sea  was  still  very  rough. 
We  had  not  been  on  the  raft  to  exceed  half  an 
hour  and  while  we  were  still  close  to  the  small 
boat,  when  a  great  wave  dashed  over  us  which 
would  have  swept  us  into  the  ocean  had  we  not 
been  experienced  sailors.  The  same  wave  struck 
the  small  boat,  turned  it  bottom  side  up,  and  all 
our  late  companions  were  drowned.  We  drifted 
about  for  several  hours,  then  were  rescued  by 
a  lumber  vessel  and  some  hours  later  were  safely 
landed  in  San  Francisco.  We  made  considera- 
ble inquiry  as  to  the  wife  and  daughter  of  James 
Higsbee,  but  could  leam  nothing  of  their  where- 
abouts, and  came  to  the  conclusion  they  too  were 
lost.  We  later,  went  to  Denver,  Colorado,  seek- 
ing employment,  where  we  accidentally  met  Mr. 
Thomas  Lawson,  who  informed  us  that  Mrs. 
and  Miss  Higsbee  had  been  rescued,  that  they 
were  then  in  San  Francisco,  and  that  he  was  about 
to  start  to  that  city  where  he  would  call  on  them 
soon  after  his  arrival.  As  we  repose  the  fullest 
confidence  in  Air.  Lawson,  and  knowing  that  he 
is  a  trusted  friend  of  the  family,  we  have  there- 
fore delivered  to  him  the  writing  that  we  re- 
ceived from  Col.  James  Higsbee." 

"There,"  said  Lawson,  to  himself,  as  he  fin- 
ished writing  the  above.  "I  think  that  is  just 
about  the  right  thing.  With  that  sworn  to,  I 
will  go  to  San  Francisco,  show  it  to  the  Higs- 


HENRY    ASHTON  111 

bees,  and  if  I  am  not  a  bigger  chump  than  I  think 
I  am,  it  will  bring  matters  to  just  about  the  proper 
focus.  This  business  is  a  trifle  risky  on  my  part 
and  might  put  me  behind  the  bars  for  a  term 
of  years  if  exposed,  but  I  have  taken  great  risks 
before,  and  I  can  afford  to  take  this  one,  for  if 
my  scheme  is  successful,  I  will  not  only  secure  a 
big  fortune  but  win  a  handsome  wife." 

At  the  appointed  time  the  following  night  Law- 
son  went  to  the  place  agreed  upon  for  the  meet- 
ing with  Dick  Stanton,  whom  he  found  waiting 
for  him,  and  who  was  accompanied  by  a  man 
whose  countenance  and  general  manner  indicated 
that  he  would  not  scruple  to  sign  the  death  war- 
rant of  his  best  friend  for  a  $5.00  gold  coin.  The 
three  men  withdrew  from  the  crowd  and  retired 
to  an  unfrequented  corner  of  the  room,  and  at 
Lawson's  suggestion  sat  down  at  a  small  table. 
After  a  few  minutes  of  conversation  in  a  low 
tone,  Lawson,  drew  the  writing  from  his  pocket, 
adjusted  his  fountain  pen,  and  jingled  two  five 
dollar  gold  pieces  in  his  hand. 

''There,  boys,"  he  said,  in  a  subdued  voice, 
"when  you  sign  your  names  to  that  paper,  here 
is  $5.00  each  for  you  besides  another  good  drink 
of  whisky.  Do  you  want  to  read  what  I  have 
written  before  you  sign?"  Stanton  took  the 
paper,  rapidly  ran  his  eyes  over  the  contents, 
reached  for  the  pen  and  without  speaking  a  word 
appended  his  name  to  the  writing  and  passed  the 
paper  to  his  friend,  remarking  as  he  did  so :  "It's 
all  a  damned  lie,  but  it's  all  right.  Here,  Jack, 
if  you  can  write,  whack  your  name  right  down 
there  under  mine."     Jack  obeyed  the  instruction 


112  HENRY    ASHTOX 

when  both  men  received  their  coin  and  Lawson 
carefully  put  the  paper  in  his  pocket. 

"Now,  boys,  let's  irrigate,  and  remember, 
'mum'  is  the  word,"  said  Lawson.  The  three  men 
arose  from  their  seats  and  repaired  to  the  bar 
where  Lawson  paid  for  the  drinks,  shook  hands 
with  the  men,  and  left  the  place,  going  directly 
to  his  room.  An  hour  later,  Lawson  being  alone, 
looked  over  the  affidavit,  when  he  exclaimed  : 

"Why  I  forgot  one  thing.  All  affida- 
vits should  be  executed  in  the  presence 
of  an  officer  who  should  certify  that  the  affiants 
signed  the  same  in  his  presence.  Now,  I 
am  not  acquainted  with  a  single  officer  in  this 
city  and  don't  want  to  be.  Even  if  I  were  it 
would  not  have  been  a  very  discreet  act  on  my 
part  to  take  those  two  jail  birds  before  him. 
Something  might  have  been  noticed  by  him  to 
excite  his  suspicion.  Oh,  well,  I  can  fix  a  little 
matter  like  that.  I  will  just  write  a  fictitious 
certificate  and  officer's  name  myself."  He  there- 
upon, in  a  disguised  hand,  wrote  the  words  : 

''Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me,  the  under- 
signed, this  7th  day  of  October,  1895. 

''CHRISTOPHER  JONES. 

"Justice  of  the  Peace  in  and  for  the  City  of 
Denver,  Colorado." 

After  a  somewhat  protracted  meditation  over 
the  status  of  affairs  as  they  now  existed,  Law- 
son  arose  from  his  seat,  and  for  several  minutes 
paced  to  and  fro  in  his  room.  Stopping  sud- 
denly he  said  to  himself : 

"Well,  Tom,  there  is  nothing  to  keep  you  longer 
in  Denver.     Your  field  for  exploitation  is  now 


HENRY    ASHTON  113 

in  San  Francisco.  You  are  now  fully  equipped 
for  your  campaign.  I  cannot  see  but  that  you  are 
ready  to  proceed  immediately  to  the  Pacific  coast 
and  open  siege  for  a  fortune  and  a  wife."  Hav- 
ing arrived  at  this  conclusion,  twenty-four  hours 
had  not  elapsed  before  he  was  on  his  way  to 
the  city  of  the  Golden  Gate. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

HENRY  ASHTON'' S  LONG  SEARCH  FOR  MISS  HIGSBEE. 

The  reader  will  remember  that  we  left  Henry 
Ashton  and  George  Batty  in  Hong  Kong,  China. 
At  the  time  of  which  we  write  steamers  did  not 
pass  to  and  fro  between  China  and  the  ports  of 
the  United  States  so  frequently  nor  so  direct  as 
now.  Three  weeks  had  passed  before  there  came 
an  opportunity  for  our  heroes  to  embark  for 
America.  But  at  last  the  announcement  was 
made  that  the  Santa  Paula  would  leave  the  fol- 
lowing Saturday.  She  would  not,  however,  go 
direct  but  via  Manilla,  and  her  destination  was 
Port  Los  Angeles,  Cal.  She  was  a  small  and  a 
slow  boat,  but  new  and  staunch,  and  Ashton  and 
Batty  were  not  long  in  deciding  that  they  would 
go  with  her  in  preference  to  waiting  longer.  They 
therefore  engaged  passage  and  awaited  impa- 
tiently for  the  hour  to  come  when  they  would 
start.  The  appointed  time  for  sailing,  however, 
came  in  due  time,  and  there  were  no  passengers 
on  that  boat  who  were  more  rejoiced  than  they 
that  they  had  begun  their  journey  across  the  Pa- 


114  HENRY    ASHTOX 

cific.  The  two  men  were  almost  constantly  to- 
gether, and,  as  might  be  expected,  the  theme  dis- 
cussed by  them  more  than  all  others,  was  the 
sailing  of  the  Osceola,  the  storm,  the  shipwreck, 
the  leaving  the  ship,  the  separation  of  the  small 
boats,  the  narrow  escape  of  Col.  Higsbee  from 
drowning,  his  death,  but  more  important  than  all, 
the  probable  fate  of  Lilly  Higsbee  and  her  moth- 
er. Every  day,  and  almost  every  hour  of  the  day, 
they  discoursed  about  that,  discussing  the  matter 
in  all  its  bearings.  Mr.  Ashton  in  fact  could  not, 
except  at  short  intervals,  talk  about  anything  else. 
At  times  he  was  hopeful  that  she  was  alive  and 
well,  that  he  would  see  her  again,  and  he  pictured 
the  joyful  reunion,  and  that  he  would  lead  her  to 
the  altar  and  then  their  future  lives  would  be  su- 
premely happy.  As  to  her  large  wealth  he  said 
nothing;  he  cared  nothing  on  his  own  account,  for 
he  declared  he  was  young,  and  strong,  and  brave, 
and  industrious,  without  vices,  without  extrava- 
gant habits  or  desires,  and  he  had  confidence  in  his 
ability  to  become  so  efficient  in  his  chosen  calling 
that  he  would  deserve  promotion  and  would  at 
the  proper  time  be  promoted.  Mr.  Batty  deeply 
sympathized  with  his  friend,  for  whom  he  had 
formed  a  very  warm  attachment,  and  whose  ster- 
ling integrity  and  nobleness  of  character  he  great- 
ly admired,  and  while  he  had  grave  fears  that 
Ashton  might  never  see  his  fiancee  again,  yet  he 
studiously  refrained  from  so  intimating,  but  on 
the  contrary  made  use  of  all  the  ability  he  could 
command  to  sustain  the  thought  that  all  of  his 
friend's  hopes  and  expectations  would  be  fully 
realized. 

There  was  one  other  subject  that  the  two  men 


HENRY    ASHTON  115 

would  occasionally  discuss,  and  that  was  Social- 
ism. In  the  mind  of  Ashton  this  subject  was  next 
in  importance  to  that  of  the  fate  of  his  beloved. 
Mr.  Batty  did  not  have  any  consuming  desire  to 
debate  economics  and  the  industrial  problems,  al- 
though his  interest  in  these  topics  was  growing, 
but  he  observed  that  when  his  friend  was  deeply 
dejected  from  long  and  earnest  thinking  over  the 
probable  fate  of  Miss  Higsbee,  that  he  was  some- 
times able  to  divert  his  mind  for  a  time,  from  his 
sorrow  and  his  painful  anxiety,  by  requesting 
Ashton  to  explain  some  Socialistic  principle  or 
by  advancing  some  argument  against  his  com- 
panion's economic  theory.  One  beautiful  after- 
noon the  two  travelers  were  occupying  comfort- 
able seats  upon  deck.  Mr.  Batty  had  eloquently 
spoken  of  the  inspiring  grandeur  of  the  boundless 
ocean,  the  beautiful  blue  sky,  the  blazing,  glorious 
sun,  bringing  life,  and  health,  and  joy  to  earth's 
myriads  of  living  creatures ;  of  the  marvelous 
achievements  of  man,  who  had  built  great  ships 
that  could  plow  the  trackless  and  mighty  deep, 
conveying  men  and  women  from  continent  to  con- 
tinent, but  to  all  this  and  more  of  a  similar  im- 
port, Ashton  answered  in  monosyllables  or  vouch- 
safed no  reply  at  all. 


116  HENRY    ASHTON 


CHAPTER  XV. 

POLITICAL   DEBATE    BETWEEN    LAWYER    BATTY,    RE- 
PUBLICAN, AND  HENRY  ASHTON,  SOCIALIST. 

Mr.  Batty  knew  the  cause  of  his  friend's  sad- 
ness, and,  after  a  short  silence,  and  with  a  humor- 
ous twinkle  in  his  eye,  said : 

"Friend  Ashton,  I  have  on  former  occasions  lis- 
tened with  much  interest  to  your  talks  on  Social- 
ism. At  those  times  you  made  your  arguments  a 
trifle  lengthy  but  very  interesting.  There  are  a 
few  points  that  are  not  yet  clear  to  me  in  your 
theory.  I  should  like  to  catechize  you  somewhat, 
and  have  you,  if  you  can,  dissipate  some  of  the 
fogs  that  seem  to  me  to  enshroud  Socialism  in 
spots.  Will  you  answer  a  few  questions  ?  These 
interrogatories  are  such  as  many  people  are  put- 
ting to  the  Socialists." 

"With  the  greatest  pleasure,  my  dear  Batty," 
said  Ashton,  arousing  from  his  train  of  melan- 
choly thoughts.  "Socialists  invite  discussion  ;  they 
welcome  the  most  searching  and  exhaustive  inves- 
tigation of  the  economic  system  they  are  advo- 
cating." 

"Well,  then,"  replied  Batty,  "my  first  question 
it,  What  do  the  Socialists  wish  to  do — that  is, 
what  changes  would  they  make  if  they  had  full 
control  of  the  governmental  machinery?" 

"First,"  replied  Ashton,  "let  me  quote  from 
that  inspired  woman,  Ella  Wheeler  Wilcox,  before 
I  answer  your  question." 


HENRY    ASHTON  117 

"who  are  socialists? 

"Who  is  a  Socialist?     It  is  the  man 

Who  strives  to  formulate  or  aid  a  plan 

To  better  earth's  condition.     It  is  he 

Who,  having  ears  to  hear  and  eyes  to  see, 

Is  neither  deaf  nor  blind  when  might  rough  shod 

Treads  down  the  privileges  and  rights  which  God 

Means  for  all  men:  the  privilege  to  toil, 

To  breathe  pure  air,  to  till  the  fertile  soil ; 

The  right  to  live,  to  love,  to  woo,  to  wed, 

And  earn  for  hungry  mouths  their  need  of  bread. 

The  Socialist  is  he  who  claims  no  more 

Than  his  own  share  from  generous  nature's  store, 

But  that  he  asks,  too,  that  no  other 

Shall  claim  the  share  of  any  weaker  brother 

And  brand  him  beggar  in  his  own  domain, 

To  glut  a  mad,  inordinate  lust  for  gain. 

The  Socialist  is  one  who  holds  the  best 

Of  all  God's  gifts  to  toil;  the  second,  rest. 

He  asks  that  all  men  learn  the  sweets  of  labor, 

And  that  no  idler  fatten  on  his  neighbor, 

That  all  men  be  allowed  their  share  of  leisure, 

Nor  thousands   slave  that  one  may  seek  his  pleasure, 

Who  on  the  Golden  Rule  shall  dare  insist 

Behold  in  him,  the  Socialist. 

"If  the  Socialists  were  in  power,"  said  Ashton, 
"they  would  gradually  and  as  rapidly  as  could  be 
done  without  too  great  a  shock  to  the  public, 
change  the  present  competitive  system  of  business 
into  the  co-operative.  Now  the  masses  create  all 
the  wealth  and  the  few  appropriate  it  to  their  own 
benefit.  Under  Socialism  every  one  would  be  re- 
warded according  to  his  deeds." 

"I  admit,"  said  Batty,  "that  the  Socialist  theory 
is  very  beautiful,  but  how  can  it  be  put  into  prac- 
tice?   What  particular  steps  would  you  take  to 


118  HENRY   ASHTON 

usher  in  your  proposed  Collective  Common- 
wealth? It  seems  to  be  a  good  and  desirable 
thing — the  right  thing — but  is  it  practicable?" 

"Yes,"  said  Ashton,  "it  is  practicable  because 
it  is  right.  The  right  is  always  practicable,  the 
wrong  always  impracticable.  If  the  Socialists 
were  in  power  they  would  first  adopt  Direct  Leg- 
islation, making  the  people  the  governing  force 
instead  of  having  Kings,  and  Parliaments,  and  of- 
ficers the  masters,  and  the  people  the  servants  as 
now.  Next,  we  would  Socialize  the  land,  the 
transportation  lines,  the  telegraphs,  water  sup- 
plies, gas,  and  electric  light  plants,  coal,  and 
other  mines,  oil  and  all  other  utilities  that  have 
become  public  necessities.  By  Socializing  these 
things,  I  mean  that  they  should  be  owned  by  the 
city,  county,  State  or  Nation,  and  the  things  which 
they  produce  would  be  furnished  to  the  people  at 
cost  of  production  or  operation.  Next,  perhaps, 
we  would  repeal  all  laws  by  which  lands  are  trans- 
ferred by  will  or  inheritance  to  heirs  or  others, 
and,  at  the  death  of  the  present  private  owners, 
provide  that  they  should  revert  to  the  Common- 
wealth. The  State  (the  Collective  Common- 
wealth) should  not  sell  those  lands,  but  such  prop- 
erty should  become  the  possessions  of  all  collec- 
tively, to  be  occupied  and  used,  as  the  whole  peo- 
ple may,  by  laws  enacted,  decide.  City,  county 
and  State  farms,  and  manufactories,  repair  shops, 
canneries  and  other  industrial  concerns  would  be 
provided  where  the  unemployed  might  labor  dur- 
ing the  transition  from  partial  to  full  Socialism. 

"Government  pensions  to  all  men  and  women 
over  sixty  years  of  age,  and  national  insurance  of 
working  people  against  accidents,  incapacity  to 


HENRY   ASHTON  119 

work,  and  want  in  old  age.  Equal  civil  and  politi- 
cal rights  to  men  and  women  alike. 

"A  system  of  compulsory  education — the  State 
to  not  only  provide  free  school  houses  and  free 
tuition,  but  free  school  books,  and,  when  neces- 
sary, free  clothing,  board  and  lodging,  to  children 
of  school  age.  Now  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
children  grow  up  without  education  because  of 
the  inability  of  parents  to  provide  them  with 
books,  clothing  and  food.  The  present  system, 
which  deprives  vast  numbers  of  children  of  proper 
training,  is  a  prolific  cause  of  ignorance  and  crime. 

"We  would  adopt  the  initiative  and  referendum 
and  the  imperative  mandate." 

Here  Mr.  Batty  interrupted  by  asking :  "Will 
you  please  to  explain  those  words,  Mr.  Ashton  ?" 

"The  initiative  and  referendum,"  said  Ash- 
ton, "is  a  method  working  most  admirably  in 
Switzerland.  When  the  people  desire  any  cer- 
tain law  enacted,  they  circulate  a  petition  to  which 
they  secure  the  names  of  five  per  cent  of  the 
voters,  asking  the  Legislature  to  submit  such  pro- 
posed law  to  the  people,  to  be  approved  or  re- 
jected at  an  election.  They  thus  make  all  the 
laws  or  approve  all  the  laws  themselves  by  which 
they  are  governed.  The  Legislature  may  also, 
on  its  own  motion,  enact  laws,  but  they  too  must 
be  submitted  to  the  people  for  their  decision  at 
the  polls.  This  insures,  in  fact  as  well  as  in 
theory,  a  government  for  the  people,  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  by  the  people. 

"The  Imperative  Mandate  is  the  exercise  of  the 
legal  authority  to  compel  any  officer  to  surrender 
his  office  before  his  time  expires,  if  he  has  proven 
false  to  the  trust  committed  to  his  care,  and  an- 


120  HENRY   ASHTON 

other  public  servant  is  sent  to  take  his  place. 
When  that  law  is  in  force  in  any  country,  the 
members  of  the  law  making  bodies,  President, 
Governors,  Mayors,  or  any  other  public  servant, 
knowing  that  their  term  will  last  only  so  long  as 
they  prove  true  to  the  people,  will  be  very  care- 
ful how  they  discharge  their  official  duties. 

"Now,  Air.  Batty,  I  have  stated  about  all  the 
first  steps  which  Socialists  propose  to  take  when 
they  come  into  power." 

"But,"  said  Batty,  "you  surely  have  not  stated 
the  full  program  of  Socialism." 

"No,"  replied  the  engineer,  "but  the  adoption  of 
so  much  as  I  have  outlined  would  bring  untold 
blessings  to  the  people.  After  they  had  enjoyed 
these  great  privileges  for  awhile,  and  had  seen 
the  trusts  and  monopolies  rendered  not  only 
harmless  but  turned  into  great  benefits  to  all  the 
people;  after  they  had  seen  the  tramp  disappear 
because  he  is  employed  in  the  government  shops 
or  on  the  public  farms ;  after  they  had  seen  the 
sweat  shops  abolished;  after  they  had  seen  dis- 
tressing poverty  and  evidence  of  despair  remov- 
ed ;  after  they  had  seen  tender  boys  and  girls 
taken  from  the  factories,  and  the  mines,  and  the 
slums,  and  put  into  the  schools ;  after  they  beheld 
happy  old  men  and  women — happy  because  they 
were  insured  against  want  in  their  last  days — 
then  they  would  be  prepared  to  take  the  remain- 
ing steps  to  establish  forever  the  co-operative 
commonwealth  in  all  its  fullness." 

"And  what  further  steps  would  the  Socialists 
desire  to  take  after  they  had  given  the  world  all 
these  good  things  you  have  enumerated,"  asked 
Batty. 


HENRY    ASHTON  121 

"Socialism  will  be  here  in  its  fullness,"  said 
Ashton,  "when  every  man  and  woman  will  be 
rewarded  according  to  his  deeds ;  when  every 
worker  with  brain  or  hands  receives  the  full  pro- 
duct of  his  toil ;  when  no  man  will  pay  his  indi- 
vidual fellowman  interest,  rental  or  profit;  when 
the  wage-system  by  which  one  man  owns  the 
time  and  labor  of  his  fellowman  will  have  been 
abolished — when  the  competitive  system  of  bus- 
iness will  be  displaced  by  the  co-operative.  Un- 
der Socialism  labor  will  be  performed  because 
all  the  good  things  of  life  are  the  result  of  labor, 
but  each  worker  with  head  or  hands  will  labor 
for  the  collective  commonwealth,  and  the  com- 
monwealth will  see  to  it  that  each  industrious  cit- 
izen shall  have  the  full  benefit  of  what  he  earns. 
Under  the  competitive  system  greed,  cunning, 
deception,  chicanery,  dishonesty,  heartlessness, 
lack  of  sympathy  for  others,  exploitation  of  oth- 
ers, are  necessary  to  secure  success  to  the  few. 
It  is  a  system  of  chaos,  in  which  the  most  crafty 
and  greedy  have  the  largest  success.  Under  the 
co-operative  system  there  will  be  order,  method, 
fair  play,  square  dealing,  honor,  and  justice  to 
all.  All  the  virtues  will  be  fostered;  all  incen- 
tives to  deceive,  to  despair,  to  tramp  down  our 
fellowman,  will  be  eliminated." 

"Would  not  your  proposed  commonwealth  be 
Communistic?"  asked  Batty. 

"No,"  replied  Ashton,  "under  a  Communistic 
system  every  man  would  have  an  equal  share  of 
the  common  property  regardless  of  the  wealth 
that  he  created.  Under  Socialism  every  man 
draws  out  of  the  common  treasury  according  to 
his  deeds  or  service." 


122  HENRY    ASHTON 

"Then,"  said  Batty,  "would  you  not  have  an 
inequality  of  wealth.  Would  not  some  possess 
more  property  than  others  ?" 

"Certainly,"  replied  Ashton.  "The  Socialist 
does  not  advocate  a  system  of  'dividing  up'  prop- 
erty under  which  the  shiftless  and  indolent  would 
be  possessed  of  as  much  as  the  sober  and  indus- 
trious. The  Socialists  advocate,  not  equality  of 
wealth,  but  equality  of  opportunity  to  earn 
wealth.  They  say,  let  private  monopolies  be 
abolished,  and  all  the  means  of  production  and 
distribution  be  owned  collectively,  and  the  oppor- 
tunity to  earn  be  guaranteed  equally  to  all.  They 
say,  let  us  have  no  monopoly;  no  special  privi- 
lege of  one  person  over  another  in  life's  strug- 
gle; no  hereditary  monarch)'  or  monied  arristoc- 
racy ;  no  laws  of  wills  or  inheritance  through 
which  productive  property  can  be  transmitted  to 
those  who  have  not  earned  any  part  of  it ;  no 
class  laws ;  no  exclusive  franchises  granted  to 
private  corporations  ;  no  legal  enactments  through 
which  the  crafty  man  may  manipulate  money 
and  compel  his  neighbor  to  borrow  from  him 
that  the  lender  may  reap  the  benefit  of  the  borrow- 
er's toil;  no  monopolizing  of  machinery  and  the 
power  of  steam  and  electricity  by  private  par- 
ties that  the  monopolist  may  extort  from  his  fel- 
lowman.     No ;  none  of  these ! 

"The  Socialist  would  change  the  present  sys- 
tem, and  by  just  legislation  and  with  a  high  re- 
gard for  the  rights  of  men  and  women  would 
guarantee  to  every  one  who  adds  to  the  wealth 
or  knowledge  or  happiness  of  the  world  the  full 
benefit  of  his  labor  by  the  hands  or  the  head.  The 
clergyman,  the  physician,  the  inventor,  the  mu- 


HENRY   ASHTON  123 

sician,  the  teacher,  the  artist,  the  author,  the  pub- 
lic officer  or  superintendent  of  every  department 
of  the  Commonwealth — every  person  engaged  in 
a  useful  pursuit,  to  be  considered  a  worker,  as 
well  as  he  who  toils  with  his  hands,  each  receiv- 
ing his  just  reward  according  to  his  service." 

"But  what  would  you  do  with  the  man  or 
woman  who  is  indolent  and  who  though  able 
bodied  will  contribute  nothing  to  the  collective 
wealth  even  in  the  way  of  mental  or  manual 
labor  ?"  asked  Batty 

"The  able  adult  person  who  will  do  nothing 
shall  not  eat  what  others  earn,"  said  Ashton. 
"There  may  be  a  few  such,  but  under  Socialism 
there  will  be  legal  penalties  for  them.  Now  there 
exists  a  good  excuse  for  the  tramp.  In  the  col- 
lective commonwealth  there  will  be  no  excuse, 
for  then  the  State  will  furnish  every  person  an 
opportunity  to  be  employed." 

"But,"  asked  Batty,  "if  every  man  is  to  have 
the  full  product  of  his  labor  will  not  the  indus- 
try and  economy  of  some  soon  enable  such  to 
secure  much  more  wealth  than  the  lazy  and  shift- 
less, and  will  not  the  old  conditions  of  great 
wealth  and  abject  poverty  exist  in  a  few  years 
as  now  ?" 

"No,"  answered  Ashton,  "for  now  the  great 
fortunes  are  accumulated  by  men  who  could  not 
themselves  have  earned  their  millions  in  a  thou- 
sand years.  They  secured  this  vast  wealth 
through  interest,  rent  or  profit.  One  stockholder 
in  the  great  American  oil  company  receives,  it  is 
said,  $20,000,000  a  year.  That  is  made  up  of 
profits  taken  from  millions  of  consumers  of  oil. 
These  great  private  fortunes  can  only  be  secured 


124  HENRY    ASHTON 

through  stock-watering,  inheritance  laws,  monop- 
olistic practices,  extortion  and  other  legal  but 
robber  methods.  Abolish  rent,  interest  and  profit, 
prevent  capitalists  from  buying  up  all  improved 
machinery,  prohibit  trusts  for  private  gain,  repeal 
all  inheritance  laws,  destroy  monopoly  and  reward 
honest  industry  according  to  its  merits,  and  you 
will  have  a  system  of  economy  under  which  it  will 
be  impossible  for  greedy,  crafty  men  to  build  up 
great  private  fortunes  by  despoiling  their  fellow- 
men." 

"Will  there  be  no  private  property  under  Social- 
ism?" asked  Batty. 

"Certainly,"  replied  Ashton.  "Socialism  does 
not  propose  to  restrict  the  accumulation  of  non- 
productive private  property,  but  to  enable  the 
masses  to  secure  more  than  they  can  get  under 
the  present  system.  Its  proposition  is  that  pro- 
ductive property,  such  as  land,  machinery,  water 
power,  steam  power,  electricity,  gas,  and  those 
things  essential  to  the  subsistence  of  the  human 
family  on  this  planet,  should  not  be  monopolized 
by  a  few  for  their  selfish  personal  benefit,  but  the 
whole  people  should  own  them  collectively.  That 
sort  of  property  not  of  a  public  utility,  which  can- 
not be  put  to  such  public  use  that  it  will  produce 
other  things,  and  which  shows  by  its  nature  that 
it  is  non-productive  and  of  a  private  nature,  will 
under  Socialism,  be  owned  privately.  Now  the 
machinery  used  in  manufacturing  clothing  is  of 
a  productive  nature.  The  iron  of  which  the  ma- 
chine is  made,  the  coal  used  in  making  the  ma- 
chine and  in  manufacturing  the  steam  that  oper- 
ates it,  is  of  a  productive  nature.  Each  of  these 
are  'public  utilities.'  and  should  be  owned  col- 


HENRY   ASHTON  125 

lectively.  But  the  finished  product  of  the  ma- 
chine is  non-productive  and  is  property  to  be 
owned  privately.  Brother  Batty,  the  machine 
that  made  the  clothes  you  have  on,  would,  un- 
der Socialism,  be  owned  collectively  but  you  will 
own  the  clothing  privately.  The  industrious  man 
will,  under  Socialism,  own  more  property  than 
the  indolent,  but  it  will  be  non-productive.  He 
will  have  a  finer  residence,  a  more  extensive 
library,  a  finer  automobile,  a  more  spirited  team, 
grander  musical  instruments,  a  larger  collection 
of  paintings,  will  take  longer  journeys  on  the  rail- 
way and  steamship  lines,  and  live  better  than  the 
indolent  man  who  though  offered  equal  oppor- 
tunities with  his  industrious  neighbor  prefers  to 
work  less  and  have  less.  Remember,  Batty,  our 
motto  is :  'Every  one  shall  be  rewarded  accord- 
ing to  his  deeds.'  Under  Socialism  the  industri- 
ous worker  will  own  more  private  property  than 
now  and  the  cunning,  non-working  idler  will  have 
less." 

"Will  there  be  money  under  Socialism,"  asked 
Batty." 

"Yes,"  replied  Ashton,  "in  some  form,  but  our 
present  financial  and  monetary  system  will  not  fit 
the  new  conditions  and  will  give  place  to  a  bet- 
ter system.  The  money  of  the  Collective  Common- 
wealth will  not  contain  an  intrinsic  or  commod- 
ity value,  hence  could  not  be  'cornered'  for  spec- 
ulation by  the  gamblers  of  Wall  street.  It  will 
be  in  the  nature  of  a  Labor  certificate  or  time 
check.  Each  citizen  who  renders  any  useful  ser- 
vice to  the  Commonwealth  will  receive  from  the 
superintendent  of  the  department  in  which  he 
works,  a  check  showing  the  credit  he  is  entitled 


12G  HENRY   ASHTON 

to  for  hourly,  daily  or  weekly  service  performed. 
With  these  certificates  the  holder  can  purchase 
at  the  emporium  or  depository  in  his  department, 
any  article  he  may  desire." 

''When  Socialism  has  been  adopted  in  all  its 
fullness,"  asked  Batty,  "will  not  the  incentive  to 
excel  be  destroyed  in  all  the  people?" 

"I  believe,"  answered  Ashton,  "I  answered  that 
in  a  former  conversation,  but  I  may  say  that  So- 
cialism may  curb  the  incentive  in  that  brand  of 
men  who  want  something  for  nothing — men  who 
have  no  higher  incentive,  in  life,  than  to  exploit 
their  fellows  out  of  the  fruits  of  their  honest  toil, 
while  they  look,  unmoved  by  pity,  upon  the  vic- 
tims of  their  greed  suffering  in  poverty  and 
squalor ;  but  a  nobler  incentive  than  greed  will 
be  stimulated.  The  incentive  of  the  great  and 
good  of  all  the  past  was  not  born  from  the  desire 
to  accumulate  riches.  Jesus,  Buddha,  Galilleo, 
Lafayette,  Washington,  Jefferson,  Lincoln,  and 
others  whose  names  will  be  honored  forever,  were 
prompted  to  great  service  for  humanity  by  a 
higher  sentiment  than  that  springing  from  greed. 
Patriotism,  love  of  approval  for  service  rendered 
or  desire  to  excel  in  music  or  art  or  philosophy  or 
discovery  are  often  more  powerful  incentives  to 
great  achievements,  than  the  sordid  desire  for 
riches.  Everything,  friend  Batty,  in  Socialism, 
will  conspire  to  make  artists,  and  poets,  and  in- 
ventors, and  true  statesmen,  and  philanthropists, 
to  broaden  the  mind,  enrich  the  soul  and  to  elim- 
inate from  society,  greed,  ignorance,  poverty,  and 
crime." 

"It  is  asserted  by  some,"  said  Batty,  "+hat  So- 


HENRY    ASHTON  127 

cialism  is  irreligious.  Is  there  any  foundation 
to  that  objection?" 

"No,"  said  Ashton,  "while  it  interferes  with  no 
one's  religious  faith  and  proposes  to  deal  with 
economics  only,  a  careful  examination  of  its  prin- 
ciples reveals  the  fact  that  they  are  in  strict  ac- 
cord to  the  teachings  of  Jesus  Christ.  Social- 
ism is  but  another  name  for  co-operation.  It 
stands  for  justice.  Its  influence  is  against  war. 
One  of  its  mottoes  is,  'Peace  on  earth,  good  will 
to  men.'  All  round  the  world  Socialists  are  cham- 
pioning the  cause  of  the  poor  and  the 
oppressed.  In  America,  in  England,  in  France, 
and  Germany,  and  Belgium,  and  Russia — in  every 
civilized  nation  on  earth,  the  Socialists,  in  every 
language  spoken,  are  crying,  'justice,  justice, 
Justice' — an  injury  to  one,  though  he  be  the 
most  degraded  and  despised,  is  the  concern  of  all." 

"Opposed  to  this  system  of  co-operation,  and 
justice,  and  fair  play  to  all,  stands  the  cruel  capi- 
talistic, competitive  system  of  the  right  of  pri- 
vate individuals  to  own  public  utilities  and  to  so 
manage  them  that  a  few  who  produce  no  wealth, 
shall  amass  colossal  fortunes  by  crafty  methods, 
while  the  working  classes  who  produce  all  wealth, 
are  compelled  to  live  on  the  very  verge  of  star- 
vation. The  motto  of  this  system  is,  'Every  one 
for  himself.  Get  what  you  can  and  keep  what 
you  get'  That  system  of  economy  upholds  mon- 
archy, bloody  wars  for  conquest,  and  sneers  at 
the  Golden  Rule.  It  monopolizes  land  and 
water,  and  electricity,  and  machinery,  and  inven- 
tions, and  transportation,  and  light,  and  fuel,  and 
bread  stuffs,  corners  the  markets  of  the  world, 
floods  the  country  with  watered  and  fraudulent 


12S  HENRY    ASHTON 

stocks,  mercilessly  crushes  out  all  rivals,  manip- 
ulates Congresses,  and  rulers,  and  courts,  subsi- 
dises the  press,  muzzles  the  pulpit,  and  riots  in 
luxury.  It  forces  hundreds  of  thousands  of  ten- 
der children  to  work  in  factories  and  mines  who 
ought  to  be  in  school,  crowds  down  the  wages 
of  working  men,  advances  the  price  of  food  and 
clothing  of  the  poor,  and  shoots  men  down  like 
dogs  who  strike  for  shorter  hours  of  toil  or  a 
trifling  advance  in  wages.  It  talks  eloquently 
about  the  sacredness  of  private  property,  and  calls 
out  soldiers  to  protect  it,  but  has  little  concern 
for  men,  women  and  children,  whom  it  enjoins 
by  its  courts  from  exercising  the  right  of  free 
speech  or  of  walking  on  ground  that  God  made 
for  all  but  which  it  claims  to  own.  This  system 
has  drenched  the  world  with  blood,  crowded  the 
prisons,  alms  houses,  and  insane  asylums  with 
its  victims,  forced  thousands  of  despondent  ones 
to  suicide,  driven  millions  of  girls  into  a  life  of 
shame  and  degradation  for  bread,  stunted  and 
murdered  vast  multitudes  of  children  whom  it 
has  forced  into  lives  of  toil,  created  in  all  great 
cities  slums  that  are  festering  with  corruption, 
ignorance  and  crime,  and  curses  the  race  by  its 
selfishness,  malevolence  and  greed.  I  leave  it  to 
you  to  decide,  Brother  Batty,  which  of  the  two 
systems  is  more  in  accord  with  the  requirements 
of  true  religion." 

"My  dear  Ashton,"  said  Batty,  "your  argu- 
ments are  reasonable;  I  cannot  answer  them; 
I  had  given  Socialism  but  little  study.  I  had  not 
heretofore  understood  it.  I  had  imbibed  much 
prejudice  against  the  system  from  the  misrep- 
resentations of  those  whose  interests  it  is  to  ere- 


HENRY   ASHTON  129 

ate  a  false  impression  regarding  it.  I  now  per- 
ceive that  Socialism  is  sound  both  economically 
and  religiously.  It  appeals  to  my  sense  of  jus- 
tice ;  I  can  no  longer  oppose  it.  On  the  contrary 
1  shall  henceforth  do  what  I  can  to  spread  a 
knowledge  of  its  grand  principles  among  the 
people.  Here  is  my  hand,  Ashton,  with  my 
pledge  that  in  the  future  I  shall  be  talking  and 
voting  to  bring  about  the  Collective  Common- 
wealth." The  two  men  shook  hands  most  heart- 
ily, and  Ashton  remarked : 

"It  gives  me  great  pleasure,  I  assure  you,  to 
know  that  you  are  now  to  be  numbered  with  the 
great  multitude  of  clear-thinking,  open-minded 
people,  in  every  civilized  country  on  earth,  who 
are  working  for  the  triumph  of  Socialism.  Every 
good,  well-meaning  man  and  woman  are  Social- 
ists to  some  extent  at  least,  no  matter  whether 
they  call  themselves  Republicans,  or  Democrats, 
or  Populists,  or  Labor  Unionists,  or  by  any  other 
name.  No  one  can  be  in  favor  of  the  common 
schools,  public  libraries,  asylums  for  the  insane, 
the  deaf  and  dumb,  orphans'  homes,  the  postal 
system,  soldiers'  home,  or  any  other  co-operative 
institution,  without  being  partially  a  Socialist,  for 
all  these  things  are  Socialistic.  The  more  ad- 
vanced Socialist  says  let  us  not  stop  with  the 
good  Socialist  institutions  already  mentioned,  but 
extend  the  public  ownership  idea  far  enough  to 
include  the  collective  ownership  of  other  utilities 
which  show  by  their  nature  that  they  should  be 
owned  collectively  instead  of  privately.  Let  us 
advance.  Evolution,  progress  is  the  law  of  na- 
ture. 


130  HENRY    ASHTON 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


LAWSON    URGES   SPEEDY    MARRIAGE    TO    MISS    HIGS- 

BEE.      SHE    CONSENTS,    SUPPOSING    ASHTON 

WAS   DROWNED. 

Let  us  now  leave  Ashton  and  Batty,  who  have 
a  long  journey  before  them,  and  enquire  regard- 
ing the  whereabouts  of  Tom  Lawson,  whom  we 
left  in  a  former  chapter  en  route  to  San  Francisco. 
He  had  from  time  to  time  written  to  Mrs.  Higs- 
bee  and  Lilly  but  carefully  refrained  from  inform- 
ing them  of  the  compromise  of  the  suit  at  Omaha 
and  of  the  loss  by  gambling  of  the  greater  part 
of  the  money  he  had  received  through  his  per- 
fidy. As  he  journeyed  westward  he  considered 
the  merits  of  several  falsehoods,  one  of  which 
he  would  tell  as  to  the  status  of  the  suit.  He  final- 
ly decided  to  represent  that  the  case  had  been  con- 
tinued to  a  subsequent  term  of  court,  and  that 
he,  himself,  had  by  reason  of  his  superior  busi- 
ness sagacity,  effected  the  postponement,  to  the 
great  chagrin  of  the  railway  officials,  who  were 
prepared  to  go  to  trial.  His  influence,  he  would 
say,  was  so  great  with  the  judge,  that  he  carried 
his  point  and  achieved  a  signal  preliminary  vic- 
tory over  an  array  of  distinguished  and  brilliant 
attorneys.  He  reached  San  Francisco  on  sched- 
ule time,  and,  after  selecting  a  hotel  and  care- 
fully attending  to  every  detail  of  dress  and  ap- 
pearance, he  prepared  to  call  on  Lilly  and  her 
mother.  This  he  did  on  the  evening  following 
his  arrival,  finding  the  ladies  both  at  home. 

Mrs.  Higsbee  greeted  him  with  decided  cordi- 


HENRY   ASHTON  131 

ality,  remarking  that  she  was  most  delighted  at 
seeing  him  again.  Lilly  was  less  demonstrative ; 
she  was,  in  fact,  dignified  and  reserved  in  man- 
ner. She  extended  her  hand  to  Lawson  and 
quietly  asked :  "When  did  you  return,  Mr.  Law- 
son?"  Lawson  affected  much  gladness  at  meet- 
ing the  ladies.  He  smiled  and  smiled  again ;  he 
shook  their  hands  most  vigorously,  explaining  as 
he  did  so :  "I  am  most  happy  at  seeing  you  once 
more.  How  have  you  both  been  ?  Do  you  know, 
my  dear  Mrs.  Higsbee,  that  I  thought  of  you  and 
Lilly  every  day  and  every  hour  of  the  day  since 
I  last  saw  you,  notwithstanding  my  business  was 
so  pressing  that  I  rarely  had  time  in  which  to 
write  you.  Yet,  I  had  you  almost  constantly  in 
mind.  Often  I  felt  impelled  to  drop  everything 
and  fly  to  San  Francisco.  Until  I  was  separated 
from  you,  I  did  not  fully  realize  how  essential  to 
my  happiness  is  my  nearness  to  you.  Oh,  my 
dear  Lilly,  I  must,  I  must  confess  that  I  can  never 
be  happy  away  from  you.  I  shall  never  leave 
you  again  unless  I  do  so  at  your  request.  You 
need  an  adviser,  a  friend,  aye  some  one  much 
closer  than  a  friend.  Mrs.  Higsbee,  may  I  not  be 
to  you  a  son?  Miss  Lilly,  may  I  not  be  your 
faithful,  devoted,  loving  husband  ?  Say  yes,  and 
I  will  be  the  happiest  of  men.  My  name,  my  for- 
tune, my  life — all  shall  be  yours." 

The  young  lady  started  as  though  moved  by  a 
sudden  shock ;  her  face  grew  pale ;  her  lips  quiv- 
ered, her  eyes  were  turned  to  the  floor  and  she 
clutched  almost  convulsively  the  arms  of  the  chair 
in  which  she  was  sitting.  Lawson  stepped  to  her 
side,  raised  her  hand  to  his  lips  and  imprinted  a 
kiss  upon  it.     She  did  not  resist  but  allowed  her 


132  HENRY   ASHTON 

hand  to  rest  in  his,  nor  did  she  speak  for  several 
seconds.  At  last,  and  apparently  with  consider- 
able effort,  with  her  eyes  upon  the  floor,  in 
scarcely  an  audible  voice,  she  said : 

"Mr.  Lawson,  when  you  made  your  first  pro- 
posal I  did  not  refuse  you  but  frankly  informed 
you  that  I  did  not  love  you  but  that  my  love  was 
for  another.  I  made  a  conditional  promise  to 
marry  you  but  asked  for  one  year's  time  in  which 
to  consider  it  and  that  if  Henry  Ashton  had  not 
then  appeared  I  would  abandon  all  hope  that  he 
is  alive  and  I  would  then  become  your  wife.  I 
most  reluctantly  admit  that  up  to  this  time  I  have 
received  no  evidence  to  prove  that  he  still  lives, 
but  I  have  no  positive  proof  that  he  does  not. 
The  year  has  not  expired.  It  is  still  my  wish  that 
our  marriage  be  delayed  until  the  end  of  a  year 
from  the  date  of  your  first  proposal,  or  until  I 
have  proof  positive  that  he  is  dead." 

"My  dear  Lilly,"  answered  Lawson,  "I  am 
fully  convinced  that  you  loved  Henry  Ashton. 
Were  he  alive  I  would  not  be  your  suitor. 
Though  I  would  be  miserable  all  my  life,  be  that 
long  or  short,  without  you,  yet  if  he  were  among 
the  living  I  would  fly  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth  and  there,  consumed  by  poignant  grief  and 
unrequited  love,  await  my  summons  to  quit  this 
earth,  which  without  you,  my  first  and  only  love, 
would  be  but  a  desert  waste.  But  Henry  Ash- 
ton is  no  more ;  he  is  gone  forever.  It  is  as  you 
have  said,  that  you  have  no  positive  proof  of  this 
fact.  I  have,  and  can  furnish  you  that  evidence 
which,  for  your  sake,  I  have  hesitated  to  present 
as  I  shrink  from  inflicting  upon  you  the  pain 
that  such  proof  will  cause  you.     I  assure  you, 


HENRY    ASHTON  133 

dear  Lilly,  that  Henry  Ashton  is  dead,  but  I  am 
alive  and  here  pleading  to  become  your  com- 
forter, your  protector,  your  devoted,  faithful,  lov- 
ing husband — aye  your  very  slave." 

"But  what  proof  have  you,  Mr.  Lawson,  more 
than  that  furnished  by  the  writing  on  the  piece  of 
wood  attached  to  the  boat  found  near  Santa 
Cruz?"  asked  Lilly. 

"I  have  the  testimony  under  oath  of  two  eye- 
witnesses, Dick  Stanton  and  Jack  Welch,"  said 
Lawson.  "These  two  men  left  the  boat  occupied 
by  your  revered  father  and  Henry  Ashton,  and 
took  refuge  on  a  raft  and  were  thus  enabled  to 
be  rescued.  They  have  given  the  details  of  the 
terrible  calamity  that  overtook  your  loved  ones. 
They  also  received  a  letter  from  your  father  which 
they  delivered  to  me  for  you.  Here,  Mrs.  Higs- 
bee,  is  the  letter,  which  I  did  not  entrust  to  the 
uncertainty  of  the  mails,  but  which  I  have 
brought  to  you  personally,  and  here  is  also  the 
statement  made  under  oath  of  the  two  sailors.  I 
will  now  leave  you  for  a  time  but  will  call  again 
soon.  I  feel  that  you  will  need  sympathy  and 
advice.  I  shall  deem  it  a  great  privilege  and 
pleasure  to  assist  you  in  any  way  you  may  sug- 
gest." So  saying  Lawson  handed  the  letter  to 
Mrs.  Higsbee  and  the  affidavit  to  Lilly,  and 
quietly  withdrew  from  their  presence  and  soon  af- 
ter left  the  house. 

The  ladies  eagerly  and  tearfully  perused  the 
writings  and  although  the  information  which  they 
conveyed  did  not  come  to  them  as  a  sudden  shock 
as  they  had  for  weeks  been  anticipating  such  sad 
information,  yet  after  reading  them  they  again 
mingled  their  tears  and  sobs  together.     At  times 


134  HENRY    ASHTON' 

they  had  no  other  thought  than  that  Col.  Higsbee 
and  Henry  Ashton  were  lost  to  them  forever, 
while  at  other  times  they  clung  to  a  faint  hope 
that  they  might  have  been  rescued  by  some  pass- 
ing ship  and  that  they  would  meet  again.  Now 
all  hope  was  gone ;  the  last  shadow  of  doubt  that 
they  were  dead  was  removed  and  they  for  a  time 
gave  themselves  up  to  the  deepest  grief. 

The  next  day  was  one  of  those  delightful  days 
for  which  California  is  justly  famous.  The 
sun  shown  brightly ;  the  air  was  pure  and  invig- 
orating and  was  ladened  with  the  sweet  perfume 
of  flowers  which  grow  so  luxuriously  on  the 
Pacific  coast.  Mrs.  Higsbee  had  slept  but  little 
during  the  preceding  night.  She  was  sad  and 
indisposed.  After  partaking  of  the  morning 
meal,  Lilly  suggested  a  visit  to  Golden  Gate  park. 

"Mother,"  she  said,  "let  us  go  out  and  try  to 
divert  our  thoughts  from  our  great  sorrow  and 
let  us  hope  to  regain  some  of  our  wonted  physical 
and  mental  strength." 

Lilly's  suggestion  was  seconded  by  her  mother 
and  a  few  hours  later  the  two  might  have  been 
seen  strolling  about  the  park,  listening  to  the 
music  of  the  birds,  admiring  the  flowers  on  all 
sides  of  them,  breathing  in  the  fresh  pure  air 
and  wearing  a  more  cheerful  expression  of  coun- 
tenance. 

After  they  had  become  somewhat  wearied  by 
walking  and  sight-seeing,  and  had  seated  them- 
selves at  the  edge  of  one  of  the  beautiful  banks 
of  flowers  and  shrubbery,  and  neither  had  broken 
the  silence  for  several  minutes,  Mrs.  Higsbee 
said: 

"My  dear  daugher,  I  have  been  waiting  for 


HENRY    ASHTON  135 

you  to  allude  to  the  proposal  of  Mr.  Lawson. 
Have  you  yet  in  your  own  mind  fixed  upon  the 
day  on  which  the  union  shall  take  place  ?  I  hope 
it  may  be  soon.  I  do  not  forget  the  request  that 
you  made  that  the  marriage  should  be  deferred  one 
year  from  the  date  of  Air.  Lawson's  first  proposal 
that  you  might  be  certain  that  Mr.  Ashton  is  no 
more  of  earth,  but  now  that  we  have  the  proof 
of  his  death,  all  reasons  that  might  have  existed 
for  delay  no  longer  exist,  and  I  hope  that  you 
may  see  that  it  is  for  the  best  interests  of  all  con- 
cerned that  the  union  is  consummated  in  the  near 
future,  and  that  is  my  desire.  Mr.  Lawson  has 
patiently  awaited  your  decision.  It  was  your 
dear  father's  dying  request  that  you  become  his 
wife  as  it  is  also  my  most  ardent  wish.  He  im- 
presses me  most  favorably.  He  has  not  only 
declared  his  undying  love  for  you,  but  has  mani- 
fested the  very  highest  respect  and  esteem  for 
me.  Not  from  direct  words  spoken  but  from 
delicate  intimations  dropped  by  him  I  am  sure  he 
hopes  to  lead  you  to  the  altar  in  the  very  near 
future.  Are  you  not  prepared  to  fix  the  date  of 
the  happy  day?" 

"Dear  mother,"  answered  the  girl,  "my  last 
hope  of  ever  again  meeting  my  beloved  in  this 
life  has  been  extinguished,  but  my  love  was  given 
to  him  and  I  have  it  not  in  my  power  to  transfer 
it  to  another.  Both  reason  and  intuition  tell  me 
that  no  woman  should  marry  the  man  she  does 
not  love,  no  matter  how  noble,  and  manly,  and 
talented,  or  distinguished,  or  wealthy  he  may  be. 
Were  I  to  consult  my  feelings  alone  and  con- 
sider not  the  wishes  and  happiness  of  others,  I 
should  decline  to  become  the  wife  of  Thomas 


136  HENRY    ASHTON 

Lawson  or  any  other  man  who  might  offer  mar- 
riage, but  Henry  Ashton,  whom  I  had  loved  with 
all  the  devotion  that  a  true  woman  is  capable  of, 
is  gone  from  earth  and  as  it  was  the  dying  request 
of  my  revered  father,  and  is  the  earnest  wish  of 
my  dear,  good  mother  that  I  accept  the  proposal 
of  Air.  Lawson,  I  have  done  so,  not  because  I  love 
him  but  from  a  sense  of  duty,  and  I  will  become 
his  wife  to-morrow,  or  next  week,  or  next  year, 
or  any  day  he  may  desire  the  ceremony  to  take 
place,  and  I  most  humbly  ask  God  to  pardon  me 
for  an  act  that  my  conscionce  does  not  approve." 
"My  dear  daughter,"  said  Mrs.  Higsbee,  "I 
am  rejoiced  at  your  decision.  Though  you  do  not 
now  entertain  any  tender  affection  for  Mr.  Law- 
son,  I  am  sure  you  will  after  you  become  his  wife 
and  know  him  better.  He  will  be  so  loving  and 
devoted  to  you  that  in  time  you  will  appreciate 
his  superior  worth ;  then  you  know  my  dear  child 
that  he  is  of  distinguished  parentage,  is  refined 
and  accomplished  and  is  wealthy.  He  can  and 
will  provide  you  with  a  grand  home  and  surround 
you  with  every  luxury.  You  will  have  diamonds 
and  elegant  apparel,  and  servants  and  social  dis- 
tinction. You  have  a  fortune  of  your  own  and 
when  that  is  united  with  the  still  greater  wealth 
of  your  husband,  you  will  be  equipped  to  associate 
with  queens  and  princesses.  I  shall  make  my 
home  with  you  and  I  already  anticipate  the  social 
triumphs  in  store  for  us  both.  As  for  your  love 
for  Henry  Ashton,  that  was  only  an  infatuation 
incident  to  first  love.  I  might  say  the  fondness 
and  romantic  sentiment  of  the  unsophisticated 
school  girl.  I  do  not  doubt  that  he  was  a  clever 
mechanic  and  a  well  meaning  young  man  but  he 


HENRY   ASHTON  137 

was  poor  and  had  to  work  and  you  know  that 
working  men  and  trades  people  are  stupid  and 
lack  the  refinement  of  the  rich.  Besides  that,  he 
had  imbibed  those  awful  anarchistic  heresies  ad- 
vocated by  the  Socialists  who  insist  on  dividing 
up  equally  all  the  property  of  the  country  and 
who  have  the  impudence  to  contend  that  the  vul- 
gar mechanics  and  other  working  people  are  as 
good  as  the  wealthy  classes.  No,  my  dear  Lilly, 
Ashton  was  not  your  equal.  I  would  have  felt 
that  the  Higsbee  family  would  have  been  irre- 
trievably disgraced  had  you  ever  become  the  wife 
of  Henry  Ashton." 

"Mother!  Mother!"  exclaimed  Lilly,  arising 
from  her  seat,  "please  desist.  I  entreat  you  to 
say  no  more.  I  can  not  listen  to  such  talk  about 
Henry  Ashton  even  from  you.  I  do  not  agree 
with  you  when  you  express  the  opinion  you  do 
regarding  him  nor  with  your  opinions  regarding 
Socialism.  You  do  not  appreciate  the  nobleness 
of  character  possessed  by  Henry  Ashton,  nor  do 
you  understand  the  views  entertained  by  him  on 
economics.  Often  listening  to  his  portrayal  of 
the  ills  which  afflict  the  masses  and  to  his  pro- 
posed cure  for  those  ills  I  came  to  think  as  he  did. 
I  cannot  admit  that  industrious  working  people 
are  not  just  as  worthy  and  just  as  intelligent  as  the 
wealthy.  Henry  Ashton  said  that  honesty, 
sobriety,  industry,  courage  to  do  the  right — in 
short,  character  is  what  constitutes  the  real  lady 
or  gentleman  rather  than  the  possession  of  money 
or  property,  and  I  am  fully  persuaded  that  he 
was  right.  Though  it  is  my  desire,  as  it  is  my 
duty,  to  listen  most  respectfully  to  what  my 
mother  might  say  to  me,  I  must  ask  you  to  re- 


13S  HENRY    ASHTON 

frain  in  the  future  from  expressing  to  me  any 
thing  derogatory  or  disrespectful  to  the  memory 
of  Henry  Ashton.  Let  us  now  change  the  sub- 
ject. I  have  consented  to  marry  Mr.  Lawson  on 
any  day  he  may  designate  and  it  shall  be  my  con- 
stant purpose  to  be  to  him  a  true  and  dutiful 
wife."  So  saying  Lilly  withdrew  from  her  moth- 
er's presence  and  slowly  walking  down  the  shaded 
path  gave  vent  to  her  emotion  in  a  flood  of  tears. 
Lawson  now  called  every  day  on  Lilly  and  her 
mother.  He  left  nothing  undone  that  was  in  his 
power  to  do  to  make  a  favorable  impression  on 
Miss  Higsbee,  and  to  win  her  favor,  for  well  he 
knew  that  she  had  no  tender  feeling  for  him.  He 
was  not  quite  sure  that  she  did  not  even  despise 
him.  Lilly  occasionally  went  on  short  drives 
with  him  and  attended  a  few  places  of  amuse- 
ment, but  this  she  consented  to  do  only  at  rare 
intervals  and  when  she  had  no  reason  to  assign 
why  she  did  not  wish  to  go.  Her  manner  at  all 
times  toward  him  was  one  of  dignified  reserve  bor- 
dering almost  on  decided  coolness.  But  while  he 
was  fully  conscious  of  the  fact  that  she  enter- 
tained no  love  for  him,  this  caused  him  but  lit- 
tle anxiety.  She  had  promised  to  be  his  wife  and 
he  could  rely  on  Mrs.  Higsbee  on  insisting  that 
Lilly  should  redeem  her  pledge.  The  date  of  the 
wedding  was  fixed  for  the  near  future,  and  noth- 
ing appeared  above  the  horizon  that  portended 
any  miscarriage  of  his  plans  that  would  secure  to 
him  a  fortune  and  a  wife.  He  cared  nothing  for 
her  love,  but  his  desire  for  her  riches  was  un- 
quenchable. With  the  property  securely  in  his 
possession  or  under  his  control,  she  might  go  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth  or  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea, 


HENRY    ASHTON  139 

and  he  would  pass  no  sleepless  nights  nor  wear 
any  mourning  on  that  account.  But  he  was  anx- 
ious to  have  the  ceremony  performed  at  the  very 
earliest  date  possible.  There  were  several  good 
reasons  for  this.  One  was  that  Henry  Ashton 
or  Col.  Higsbee  might  turn  up,  and  if  they  did, 
his  adroitly  concocted  plans  would  be  defeated. 
Another  reason  was  that  he  had  from  two  or  three 
sources  learned  that  a  brother  of  his  wife  from 
South  America  was  in  the  United  States  and 
had  for  several  months  been  searching  for  him. 
Just  what  his  brother-in-law  wanted  to  find  him 
for,  he  was  not  certain,  but  he  well  knew  that  he 
had  several  good  reasons  for  wishing  to  see  him, 
and  he  had  a  lively  suspicion  that  if  Don  Cas- 
tano  and  he  had  a  meeting,  there  would  be,  either 
a  tragedy,  or  he  would  be  invited  to  return  to  the 
scene  of  his  exploits  in  Peru,  and  the  invitation 
to  go  would  be  backed  up  by  a  warrant  for  his 
arrest  and  a  requisition  by  the  legal  authorities. 
He  therefore  wished  the  marriage  to  take  place 
as  soon  as  possible  that  he  might  leave  for  Aus- 
tralia and  elude  his  pursuers.  To  this  sugges- 
tion Mrs.  Higsbee  eagerly  assented  while  Lilly 
interposed  no  objections  so  it  was  settled  that  the 
marriage  ceremony  should  take  place  in  three 
weeks  from  that  date. 


140  HENRY   ASHTON 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

ASHTON  AND  BATTY  ARRIVE  AT  LOS  ANGELES  FROM 
CHINA.      THEY  CONTINUE  THEIR  SEARCH 
FOR    MISS    HIGSBEE    AND    MEET    DON 
CASTANO,    OF    SOUTH    AMERICA, 
WHO   RENDERS   THEM    VAL- 
UABLE ASSISTANCE. 

In  a  former  chapter  we  left  Henry  Ashton  and 
George  Batty  on  board  the  Santa  Paula  enroute 
to  Los  Angeles,  California.  They  had  an  une- 
ventful voyage.  The  ship  was  small  and  slow, 
and  on  account  of  adverse  winds  and  long  stops 
at  Manilla  and  Honolulu,  the  voyage  was 
prolonged  several  weeks  beyond  the  time  adver- 
tised for  their  arrival  at  the  American  port.  Dur- 
ing the  long  and  monotonous  trip  Ashton  and 
Batty  talked  daily  of  the  wrecking  of  the  Osceola, 
the  probable  fate  of  Mrs.  Higsbee  and  Lilly,  and 
of  the  plans  they  might  adopt  for  instituting  the 
search  for  them.  They  finally  settled  it  in  their 
minds  that  on  landing  they  would  make  it  their 
first  business  to  ascertain  if  they  had  been  res- 
cued from  the  small  boat. 

"That  is  the  most  important  thing  of  all,"  said 
Ashton,  "for  if  they  were  saved  from  a  watery 
grave  then  the  probability  is  that  they  are  some- 
where alive,  and  well,  and  we  may  soon  ascertain 
their  whereabouts." 

"America  is  a  large  country,"  said  Batty,  "and 
it  may  not  be  so  easy  as  you  anticipate  to  find  two 
women  among  eighty  millions  of  people ;  then 


HENRY   ASHTON  141 

there  is  a  possibility  that  they  may  have  returned 
to  Australia  or  gone  to  Europe." 

"Yes,"  said  Ashton,  "that  may  all  be  true,  but 
I  shall  never,  never  cease  searching  for  them  un- 
til I  find  them.  I  shall  ransack  the  earth  for 
them.  All  the  remaining  years  of  my  life  shall, 
if  necessary,  be  spent  in  the  search." 

"And  I  will  be  your  companion  and  helper  in 
that  search,"  replied  Batty.  "Aside  from  all  con- 
sideration of  friendship  for  you,  it  is  my  profes- 
sional duty  to  put  forth  every  possible  effort  to 
find  them  for  I  am  not  only  Col.  Higsbee's  at- 
torney for  adjusting  his  unsettled  business  in  the 
United  States,  but  I  am  the  custodian  of  his  last 
will  and  testament,  and  I  am  under  legal  obliga- 
tions to  deliver  that  instrument  to  his  widow  and 
daughter  if  they  are  living." 

One  bright  morning  several  weeks  after  the 
Santa  Paula  steamed  out  of  the  bay  from  Hong 
Kong,  and  after  a  monotonous  journey,  it  was 
announced  that  the  California  coast  was  in  sight. 
This  announcement  was  received  with  delight  by 
every  passenger  on  board,  but  none  heard  it  with 
greater  joy  than  Ashton  and  Batty.  A  few  hours 
later  the  steamer  was  alongside  of  the  wharf  at 
Port  Los  Angeles  and  discharging  her  passengers 
and  freight. 

Our  heroes  were  among  the  very  first  to  walk 
down  the  gang  plank  and  to  enter  the  cars  that, 
thirty  minutes  later,  landed  them  in  the  "City  of 
the  Angels,"  and  at  the  Hollenbeck  hotel  which 
they  selected  as  their  temporary  stopping  place. 

Notwithstanding  they  had  every  day  during 
the  voyage  discussed  in  all  its  phases,  the  sub- 
ject that  was  of  supremest  interest  to  both,  yet 


142  HENRY    ASHTON 

they  had  matured  no  plans  in  detail  as  to  their 
movements  in  the  immediate  future.  It  was 
agreed  that  they  would,  for  the  present  make  their 
home  in  Los  Angeles. 

"Here  from  our  temporary  headquarters,"  said 
Ashton,  "we  might  send  out  letters  of  enquiry 
to  the  steamship  companies,  the  mayors  of  coast 
cities  and  others ;  we  might  also  consult  news- 
paper files  for  information  about  the  wrecking  of 
the  Osceola  and  the  rescue  of  passengers  from 
the  ill-fated  ship.  What  do  you  think  as  to  the 
wisdom  of  my  suggestion?" 

"It  meets  with  my  unreserved  approval,"  re- 
plied Batty,  "I  can  think  of  no  better  plan." 

On  the  second  day  after  their  arrival  while 
Ashton  was  in  his  room  writing  to  the  officials 
of  the  coast  towns  soliciting  the  information  so 
much  desired,  Mr.  Batty  called  at  the  office  of 
the  Los  Angeles  Times  with  the  copy  of  an  ad- 
vertisement he  wished  inserted  and  which  was 
an  enquiry  for  information  of  the  names  and  ad- 
dresses of  any  survivors  of  the  wrecked  Osceola. 
After  contracting  for  the  printing  he  asked  per- 
mission to  examine  the  files  of  San  Francisco  and 
Portland  newspapers.  He  was  politely  informed 
that  correct  files  of  two  of  the  San  Francisco 
daily  papers  were  kept  in  that  office  which 
he  was  at  liberty  to  consult,  but  that  copies  of 
Portland  publications  were  not  preserved,  but 
might  be  found  in  the  public  reading  room  at  the 
city  hall  building. 

A  careful  examination  of  the  columns  of  the 
San  Francisco  Examiner  and  Chronicle  resulted  in 
failure  to  discover  any  account  of  the  picking  up 
of  the  small  boats  of  the  Osceola.     This  was  most 


HENRY   ASHTON  143 

discouraging  as  the  steamer  was  wrecked  about 
one  hundred  miles  southwesterly  from  San  Fran- 
cisco, and,  thought  Batty,  if  any  of  the  passen- 
gers were  rescued  they  would  in  all  probability 
have  been  discovered  nearer  to  that  city  than 
any  other  place,  and  their  rescue  would  undoubt- 
edly have  been  noted  in  the  daily  papers.  Still 
the  absence  from  the  papers  of  any  such  informa- 
tion does  not  prove  that  they  were  not  saved. 
Our  boat  was  discovered  and  we  were  saved  as 
well  as  the  boat  Col.  Higsbee  and  Ashton  were 
in  by  Western  bound  ships.  It  may  have  been 
that  the  two  other  small  boats  were  rescued  by 
out-going  steamers,  and  the  objects  of  our  search 
may  now  be  alive  and  well  somewhere  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Pacific  ocean.  Well,  we  are 
here  now,  and  no  effort  must  be  spared  to  ascer- 
tain their  fate.  Now  the  storm  that  destroyed 
the  Osceola  came  from  a  southerly  direction. 
The  wind  would  and  did  drive  the  small  boats  to 
the  northward  and  past  the  Golden  Gate.  The 
objects  of  our  search  may  have  been  discovered 
and  rescued  by  some  vessel  bound  for  Portland, 
Seattle,  or  some  port  to  the  northward.  "Yes,  I 
will  go  to  the  public  reading  rooms  and  carefully 
examine  the  newspapers  published  in  those  cities." 
In  answer  to  his  request  for  copies  of  Portland 
papers  the  polite  young  lady  attendant  handed 
Batty  files  of  the  Portland  Oregonian.  He  took 
his  seat  at  the  table,  opened  the  newspapers  of 
the  latest  dates,  and  going  back  over  the  files, 
rapidly  but  very  carefully  scanned  the  columns. 
For  two  or  more  hours  he  patiently  devoted  him- 
self to  the  search,  and  was  almost  ready  to  aban- 


144  HENRY   ASHTON 

don  it  when  his  eyes  ran  on  to  the  following  par- 
agraph : 

''Arrived — At  this  port,  this  morning  the 
French  steamer,  Josephine,  Capt.  Reguet  com- 
manding, with  a  cargo  of  merchandise  and  39 
passengers.  Among  the  latter  were  Mrs.  Col. 
Higsbee  and  daughter,  of  Melbourne,  Australia, 
who,  with  five  or  six  others,  had  been  picked  up 
from  a  small  boat  belonging  to  the  wrecked 
steamer  Osceola,  about  seventy-five  miles  off  the 
California  cost  northwest  of  San  Francisco." 

As  though  impelled  by  some  sudden  and  mighty 
impulse  or  shocked  by  some  impending  danger, 
Mr.  Batty  sprang  to  his  feet  with  an  ejaculation 
that  startled  those  near  him,  and  several  min- 
utes elapsed  before  he  was  calm  enough  to  copy 
the  item  on  a  slip  of  paper.  This,  however,  he 
soon  did,  and  still  manifesting  a  high  degree  of 
excitement,  he  hurriedly  left  the  room  and  pro- 
ceeded to  the  hotel  as  quickly  as  rapid  walking 
would  take  him  there.  Entering  the  office  he 
was  about  to  step  into  the  elevator  when  he  met 
Mr.  Ashton,  who  was  preparing  to  go  out.  Rush- 
ing up  to  him,  his  face  all  illuminated  with  ani- 
mation, he  grasped  the  engineer  by  the  arm  and 
almost  dragged  him  to  a  seat,  meanwhile  exclaim- 
ing: 

"They  were  saved !  They  were  saved,  Ashton ! 
Thank  God,  they  were  saved !  Look  at  this,  I 
copied  it  from  the  Portland  Oregonian!" 

He  thrust  the  paper  into  the  hands  of  his 
friend  and  fairly  danced  for  joy.  Ashton  grew 
ashen  pale  and  his  hands  trembled  violently  as  he 
grasped  the  slip  of  paper  and  rapidly  ran  his 
eyes  over  the  writing.       Finishing  it  he  arose 


HENRY   ASHTON  145 

from  his  seat,  grasped  the  hand  of  the  lawyer 
and  put  his  arm  about  him  and  said :  "Yes,  thank 
God,  Batty,  they  were  saved  and  we  will  find 
them.  This  is  one  of  the  happiest  moments  of 
my  life.  Here  let  us  sit  down ;  we  are  excited 
now  and  are  in  no  proper  mood  to  lay  deliberate 
plans  for  the  discovery  of  our  loved  ones.  That 
we  will  do  when  we  are  calmer.  Just  now  we 
will  rejoice  over  the  glorious  information  we  have 
received." 

The  two  men  read  and  re-read  the  newspaper 
item.  After  a  time  Ashton  remarked :  "Tom 
Lawson  was  in  the  boat  with  Lilly  and  her  mother 
when  it  shoved  off  from  the  Osceola,  and  was  of 
course  among  the  saved.  I  am  glad  of  that,  and 
yet  there  is  something  about  that  man  that  does 
not  impress  me  favorably.  I  am  somewhat  prej- 
udiced against  him,  but  my  aversion  is  not  caused 
by  jealousy  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  he 
sought  the  favor  of  Miss  Higsbee  and  was  fav- 
orably looked  upon  by  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Higsbee. 
How  long  had  you  been  acquainted  with  Law- 
son  before  you  introduced  him  to  me?" 

"Only  a  few  months,"  said  Batty.  "I  know 
nothing  of  his  antecedents  or  life  before  meeting 
him  in  Melbourne." 

As  the  two  men  sat  in  the  hotel  office  thus  con- 
versing they  had  not  noticed  a  gentleman  occu- 
pying a  chair  very  near  to  them  who  overhead 
all  that  passed  between  them.  He  was  a  man 
about  twenty-five  years  of  age,  powerfully  built, 
of  dark  complexion,  with  an  intelligent  and  reso- 
lute face,  and  was  evidently  of  Spanish  descent. 
He  had  paid  but  little  attention  to  the  conversa- 
tion between  Batty  and  Ashton  until  the  name, 


146  HENRY    ASHTON 

Tom  Lawson,  was  spoken,  then  he  manifested  a 
Keen  but  in  no  sense  an  obtrusive  interest  in 
what  was  passing  between  the  two  men  After  a 
little  further  conversation  in  which  Mr.  Batty  ex- 
pressed the  suspicion  that  Lawson  was  not  the 
man  he  pretended  to  be,  Ashton  said : 

"Come,  let  us  go  to  our  room  and  decide  on 
our  future  movements." 

They  were  about  to  step  into  the  elevator  when 
the  stranger  approached  them  and  with  a  smile 
and  a  polite  bow,  said : 

"Gentlemen,  pardon  what  may  seem  to  you  to 
be  an  unwarranted  act  of  impropriety  and  even 
audacity  on  my  part,  for  thus  addressing  total 
strangers,  but  I  could  not  help  hearing  a  portion 
of  the  conversation  that  has  just  taken  place 
between  you.  I  heard  mentioned  the  name  of 
Tom  Lawson.  Now  I  am  acquainted  with  a 
man  whose  full  name  is  Thomas  Lawson  Hart- 
well,  but  who  for  reasons  best  known  to  himself 
sometimes  calls  himself  Thomas  Lawson  and  at 
other  times  assumes  other  aliases.  I  am  seeking 
that  man  and  have  been  for  several  months.  My 
name  in  Don  Castano  and  my  residence  is  Lima, 
South  America.  Here  is  my  card,  gentlemen, 
and  if  you  will  do  me  the  very  great  kindness  to 
grant  me  an  interview,  I  will  impart  to  you  some 
information  about  the  man  who  calls  himself 
Thomas  Lawson  that  may  interest  you.  Besides, 
gentlemen,  I  infer  from  what  I  overheard  of  the 
conversation  between  you,  that  your  acquaintance 
with  the  man  is  of  recent  date.  If  so,  then  you 
may  be  able  to  render  me  valuable  service — a  ser- 
vice which  will  be  greatly  appreciated  if  you  can 
inform  me  as  to  his  whereabouts." 


HENRY    ASHTON  147 

"I  am  glad  to  meet  you,  Mr.  Castano,"  said 
Ashton,  extending  his  hand,  "and  I  assure  you 
that  you  have  been  guilty  of  no  impropriety  in 
addressing  us  as  you  have.  We  shall  be  pleased 
to  have  the  interview  you  desire.  My  name  is 
Henry  Ashton,  of  Melbourne,  Australia,  and  this 
is  my  friend,  George  Batty,  attorney  at  law,  of 
the  same  city.  I  now  extend  to  you  a  cordial  in- 
vitation to  accompany  us  to  our  rooms  above, 
where  we  may  hold  a  conference  without  inter- 
ruption. I  know  that  my  friend  here  will  join 
me  in  this  invitation." 

"Certainly,"  remarked  Batty.  "Come  right 
along  with  us." 

The  conference  between  the  three  men  proved 
to  be  one  of  unusual  interest  to  each.  By  the 
careful  comparing  of  the  .description  given  by 
Castano  of  the  man  for  whom  he  was  looking, 
the  conclusion  was  reached  that,  without  doubt, 
the  man  known  to  Ashton  and  Batty  as  Thomas 
Lawson,  was  none  other  than  Thomas  L.  Hart- 
well,  forger,  swindler,  and  convict — known  to 
Castano  as  the  villain  who  had  married  his  sis- 
ter under  false  pretense,  absconded  with  his 
father's  money,  and  who  had  eluded  detection 
and  arrest  for  two  years. 

Mr.  Castano  was  greatly  pleased  over  the  acci- 
dental meeting  with  Ashton  and  Batty.  Through 
them  he  had  gained  information  of  Hartwell's 
later  movements,  and  he  now  reasoned  that  his 
search  for  the  rascal  would  be  less  perplexing. 
That  he  was  somewhere  in  the  United  States  was 
pretty  certain,  and  no  doubt  was  within  the  State 
of  California.     He  would  now  redouble  his  efforts 


148  HENRY    ASHTON 

to  find  and  arrest  his  man  and  convey  him  back 
to  Peru  to  answer  for  his  crimes. 

Ashton  and  Batty  were  also  gratified  over  the 
meeting  with  the  Spanish  gentleman,  for  through 
him,  they  had  learned  the  true  character  of  the 
man  who  had  obtruded  himself  upon  them  as  a 
social  equal  and  companion,  and  what  was  in- 
finitely worse,  had  endeavored  to  court  the  favor 
of  Lilly  Higsbee. 

At  a  later  meeting  of  the  three  gentlemen,  and 
after  Castano  had  listened  to  the  story  of  the 
wrecking  of  the  Osceola,  the  rescue  of  the  occu- 
pants of  the  small  boats,  and  had  read  the  news- 
paper account  of  the  safe  arrival  at  Portland  of 
Mrs.  Higsbee  and  daughter,  and  had  learned  that 
Hartwell  was  in  the  same  boat  with  the  women 
and  was  rescued  with  them,  and  after  being  told 
of  Lawson's  effort  to  win  the  favor  of  Miss  Higs- 
bee whom  he  knew  was  the  only  child  of  a  mil- 
lionaire, he  remarked : 

"I  am  free  to  say  that  I  do  not  like  the  looks 
of  that  situation.  There  are  two  innocent,  con- 
fiding women,  shipwrecked,  separated  from  hus- 
band and  friends,  cast  among  strangers,  per- 
haps not  acquainted  with  a  single  individual  in 
California  except  one  man,  and  he  an  accom- 
plished scoundrel.  Why,  that  is  precisely  a  con- 
dition of  things  that  Hartwell  would  be  happy 
in.  No,  gentlemen,  I  do  not  like  the  situation. 
I  know  Tom  Hartwell  so  well  that  I  am  almost 
certain  that  he  will  in  some  way,  succed  in  vic- 
timizing those  ladies  as  that  the  sun  will  rise  to- 
morrow morning." 

"I  have  been  from  the  first  extremely  solici- 
tous for  the  welfare  of  Mrs.  Higsbee  and  her 


HENRY   ASHTON  149 

daughter,"  said  Ashton,  as  he  paced  to  and  fro 
across  the  floor,  "and  now  since  I  have  learned 
what  a  rogue  Lawson  is,  I  am  doubly,  aye  an 
hundred  fold  more  anxious  about  them  than  ever 
before.  Air.  Batty,  we  must  prosecute  our  search 
for  them  with  all  the  energy  of  which  we  are 
capable." 

"Yes,"  replied  Batty,"  no  time  is  to  be  lost. 
As  the  women  were  landed  at  Portland  we  must 
proceed  to  that  city,  and  if  they  cannot  be  found 
there,  as  I  fear  they  will  not  be,  then  we  must 
extend  our  search  to  other  localities." 

"Your  suggestion  is  a  good  one,"  replied  Cas- 
tano,  "and  as  the  object  of  my  search  is  Hart- 
well,  who  I  doubt  not  is  following  up  the  ladies 
for  whom  you  are  looking,  I  shall  with  your  con- 
sent join  you  and  we  will  work  together.  I  am 
something  of  a  detective,  and  I  may  be  of  some 
service  to  you  and  you  mav  very  materially  aid 
me." 

This  suggestion  met  with  the  most  hearty  ap- 
proval by  our  heroes,  and  it  was  arranged  after 
further  conferences,  that  Ashton  and  Batty  should 
proceed  immediately  to  Portland  where  they 
would  endeavor  to  gain  what  information  was 
available  in  regard  to  the  landing  of  the  ladies 
from  the  Josephine,  and  locate  them  if  they  were 
still  in  that  city;  if  they  had  left  there,  then  try 
to  trace  them  to  their  present  location.  Castano 
would  go  to  San  Francisco  and  make  that  place 
his  headquarters  for  a  few  weeks  or  until  he  found 
Hartwell,  or  till  he  became  convinced  that  it 
would  be  useless  to  remain  longer.  Letters  were 
to  be  exchanged  frequently  between  the  men,  re- 
porting progress. 


150  HENRY   ASHTON 

The  next  train  leaving  Los  Angeles  carried  the 
three  men  northward  toward  the  places  agreed 
upon  for  future  operations.  Reaching  San  Fran- 
cisco the  next  day  Mr.  Castano  stopped  at  that 
city,  while  Ashton  and  Batty  contimaed  on  to 
Portland. 

After  Mr.  Castano  had  selected  a  suitable  lodg- 
ing house  he  began  immediately  to  mature  his 
plans  for  instituting  a  thorough  search  for  the 
villain  he  had  long  been  hunting.  He  reasoned 
that  if  Hartwell  were  in  the  city  he  would  be  a 
frequent  visitor  of  the  gambling  houses,  saloons 
and  other  disreputable  resorts.  Well  disguised, 
he  sallied  out  each  night,  for  several  successive 
days  and  made  the  rounds  of  the  dives,  or  as 
many  of  them  as  he  could  visit  between  the  hours 
of  nine  and  one  o'clock. 

He  had  now  been  in  the  great  city  five  days  and 
so  far  his  search  had  been  fruitless.  On  the 
sixth  day  he  called  on  Captain  Osgood  who  had 
more  than  a  local  reputation  as  a  detective  of 
large  experience  and  great  courage  and  sagacity, 
and  engaged  his  professional  services.  After 
giving  that  gentleman  a  minute  description  of 
Hartwell,  the  Captain  said : 

"I  think  I  have  seen  the  man  you  want.  I  be- 
lieve I  know  him.  Mr.  Castano,  come  to  my 
office  at  1 1  :oo  o'clock  to-night  and  I  will  take 
you  to  a  gambling  joint  frequented  by  a  man  who 
answers  the  description  of  the  person  for  whom 
you  are  looking." 

At  the  appointed  time  Mr.  Castano  called  at 
the  detective's  office  and  rang  the  bell.  Capt. 
Osgood  himself  answered  the  summons.  There 
confronting  him  stood  a  well  dressed  gentleman, 


HENRY    ASHTON  151 

with  full  beard  nearly  white,  and  hair  of  the  same 
color,  apparently  fifty  or  fifty-five  years  of  age. 
He  made  a  polite  bow  and  asked :  "Is  Captain 
Osgood  in?" 

"That  is  my  name,  sir,"  said  the  Captain,  "and 
who  are  you  and  what  is  your  business  with  me 
at  this  late  hour?" 

"Ah,  Captain,"  said  Castano,  "my  disguise  must 
be  pretty  good  if  it  so  completely  conceals  my 
identity  as  to  deceive  San  Francisco's  veteran 
detective.  I  am  Don  Castano,  and  am  ready  now 
to  go  and  see  the  suspect." 

"Well,  well,"  exclaimed  Capt.  Osgood.  "Your 
make-up  is  superb.  I  would  have  made  a  sol- 
emn oath  that  I  had  never  seen  you  before,  but 
step  in,  I  will  be  ready  in  a  moment.  By  the 
way,  Mr.  Castano,  have  you  the  proper  legal  pa- 
pers investing  you  with  authority  to  arrest  and 
detain  your  man  if  you  find  him." 

"Certainly,"  replied  the  Peruvian,  "Hartwell 
is  under  indictment  in  Peru,  and  I  have  the  au- 
thority from  the  Governor  of  California  to  arrest 
and  transport  him  to  the  scene  of  his  crimes." 

Within  thirty  minutes  from  the  time  the  above 
conversation  took  place,  the  two  men  entered  a 
gambling  den  known  to  the  police  as  one  of  the 
wickedest  resorts  on  the  Pacific  coast.  In  the 
front  room  was  the  bar  and  billiard  tables,  and 
even  at  this  late  hour  there  was  a  crowd  of  men 
playing,  drinking  and  lounging;  but  it  was  not 
here  that  the  detective  expected  to  find  the  man 
he  wished  to  point  out  to  Castano.  The  gaming 
tables  were  in  rooms  farther  to  the  rear  entered 
by  narrow  hallways.  Castano  and  the  detective 
attracted  no  attention  as  they  leisurely  walked 


152  HENRY   ASHTON 

down  the  hall  and  entered  the  rooms  where, 
nightly,  considerable  sums  of  money  were  lost 
and  won.  There  were  a  number  of  tables  in  the 
first  room  they  entered,  around  which  men  were 
seated  engaged  in  cardplaying  for  money.  Enter- 
ing this  place  the  Captain  and  his  companion 
halted  and  stood  a  few  feet  from  the  door  at 
which  they  entered  when  the  detective  rapidly  ran 
his  eye  over  the  fifty  or  sixty  men  at  the  various 
tables.  He  was  about  to  speak  to  Castano  saying 
that  the  subject  was  not  in  that  room,  when  from 
an  adjoining  apartment,  stepped  a  man  who 
walked  with  a  rapid  stride  toward  the  door  they 
had  just  entered.  In  a  moment  he  passed  out. 
As  he  did  so  Capt.  Osgood  caught  the  Peruvian 
by  the  arm,  gave  it  a  sharp  grip  accompanied  by 
a  signal  to  follow  him.  The  two  men  turned 
upon  their  heels  and  stepped  after  the  man  who 
had  just  passed  them.  They  walked  down  the 
corridor,  through  the  saloon  and  to  the  sidewalk. 
There  was  a  great  throng  of  people  passing,  and 
for  a  few  moments  the  suspect  was  lost  sight  of, 
but  knowing  the  direction  he  had  taken,  the  two 
men  walked  after  him  and  quickened  their  pace 
as  they  did  so.  They  soon  came  up  close  be- 
hind him,  so  close  that  Castano  might  easily  have 
laid  his  hand  upon  his  shoulder.  Up  to  this 
time  the  South  American  had  been  unable  to  get 
a  look  into  the  face  of  the  man.  The  three  walk- 
ed along  to  a  corner  of  the  street  when  signaling 
a  street  car,  the  man  stepped  aboard  and  took  an 
outside  seat  well  toward  the  front  end.  Osgood 
and  Castano  boarded  the  car  in  the  rear.  The 
latter  changed  his  position  so  that  he  might  get 
a  good  view  of  the  suspect  through  the  glass 


HENRY    ASHTON  153 

door.  After  eyeing  him  intently  for  a  few  mo- 
ments and  hearing  his  voice  as  he  conversed  with 
the  conductor  about  his  fare,  Castano  beckoned  to 
the  detective  who  advanced  to  his  side,  when  he 
said  in  a  whisper : 

"He  is  well  disguised,  but  he  is  the  man  I 
want.  I  shall  place  him  under  arrest  when  he 
steps  from  the  car." 

"Are  you  well  armed,"  asked  Capt.  Osgood. 
"Of  course  I  will  assist  in  his  capture,  but  it  will 
be  well  to  be  prepared  for  trouble." 

"Yes,  I  am  armed,"  replied  the  Peruvian  in  a 
low  voice,  "but  I  will  have  no  use  for  a  gun. 
Hartwell  is  not  only  a  villain  but  a  dastardly 
coward.  Bravery  and  manliness  are  not  in  his 
nature." 

As  they  talked  the  car  came  to  a  stop  when 
the  man  who  was  being  followed  and  who  was 
sitting  on  the  outside,  quickly  stepped  off  and 
rapidly  walked  down  a  cross  street.  The  detec- 
tives left  the  car  as  soon  as  was  practicable  but 
their  movements  were  impeded  a  minute  or  two 
owing  to  the  alighting  of  several  passengers  from 
the  inside  who  blocked  the  doorway,  and  when 
they  stepped  to  the  ground  Hartwell  was  quite  a 
distance  away.  They  walked  after  him  but  did 
not  come  up  to  him  until  after  he  had  entered 
the  door  of  a  lodging  house  and  had  disappeared. 
The  pursuers  hesitated  a  moment  and  then  slowly 
walked  by  the  place.  Castano  broke  the  silence 
by  saying : 

"Well,  the  villain  escaped  us,  but  we  now  know 
where  to  find  him  and  we  will  soon  have  him  in 
irons.  Captain,  you  go  to  the  rear  of  the  house 
and  guard  the  back  exits,  and  I  will  go  to  the 


154  HENRY    ASHTON 

front  and  ring  the  bell  and  ask  for  Thomas  Law- 
son  and  when  he  comes  to  speak  to  me  I  will  put 
these  handcuffs  upon  him." 

"Yes,"  said  the  detective,  "we  will  adopt  the 
plan  you  suggest  if  you  are  ready.  But  it  had  oc- 
curred to  me  when  we  started  out  to-night  to  do 
no  more  than  to  identify  and  locate  your  man.  It 
is  now  about  midnight.  If  we  arrest  him  now 
we  will  have  to  guard  him  till  to-morrow  as  the 
officers  of  the  prison  as  well  as  the  officials  be- 
fore whom  you  will  have  to  present  him  with  the 
requisition  papers,  have  retired  for  the  night.  We 
have  now  found  your  man ;  you  know  his  hiding 
place  and  at  least  one  of  his  habitual  resorts. 
There  is  no  indication  that  he  intends  to  leave  the 
city.  You  can  take  him  to-morrow,  or  the  next 
day,  as  well  as  now,  and  if  you  have  any  other 
business  to  attend  to  before  leaving  the  city  with 
your  prisoner,  I  suggest  that  you  defer  the  arrest 
for  a  day  or  until  you  are  fully  prepared." 

"Your  suggestion  is  correct,  Captain."  replied 
Castano.  "I  was  so  anxious  to  get  the  handcuffs 
on  the  rascal,  that  I  forgot  the  lateness  of  the 
hour,  and  that  I  have  some  important  matters  to 
attend  to  before  I  could  leave  the  city  with  my 
prisoner.  Besides  that  there  are  two  gentlemen, 
now  in  Portland,  who  are  interested  in  Hartwell, 
or  if  they  have  no  concern  about  him  personally, 
they  do  have  for  two  women  whose  present 
whereabouts  they  are  endeavoring  to  ascertain, 
and  they  have  good  reason  for  believing  that 
Hartwell  has  knowledge  of  their  location.  Yes, 
I  will  postpone  the  arrest  one  day,  or  perhaps,  two 
or  three  days,  or  till  I  can  communicate  with  my 
friends  in  Portland,  and  secure  their    presence 


HENRY    ASHTON  155 

here.  Consider  yourself  employed,  Captain,  till 
after  this  arrest  is  made.  Hartwell  has  doubt- 
less retired.  He  suspects  nothing.  I  desire  you, 
Captain,  to  detail  two  or  more  of  your  most  effi- 
cient detectives  to  shadow  Hartwell  day  and 
night  for  two  or  three  days,  or  until  the  hour  that 
I  decide  upon  for  his  arrest.  Here  is  $100.00  to 
apply  as  part  payment  of  your  fees  for  the  ser- 
vice you  have  rendered  me  and  for  the  work  I 
wish  you  to  do.  Instruct  your  men  also  to  take 
particular  notice  if  he  calls  at  any  hotel  or  lodging 
house  upon  two  ladies — one  an  elderly  woman,  the 
other  young  and  handsome,  and  if  so,  to  make  a 
memorandum  of  the  street  and  number  where 
stopping,  and  if  possible  ascertain  the  names  of 
the  women." 

"All  right,"  responded  Captain  Osgood,  as  he 
placed  the  money  in  his  pocket.  "I  shall  do  as 
you  have  ordered.  I  have  in  my  agency  several 
detectives  of  long  experience,  superior  tact,  and 
thorough  reliability.  Drop  into  my  office  two  or 
three  times  a  day,  and  I  shall  be  able  to  inform 
you  of  every  move  that  your  man  is  making,  and 
if  there  are  any  women  in  the  case  that  he  has  any- 
thing to  do  with,  my  men  will  ascertain  all  about 
them  as  well  as  about  him." 

Within  one  hour  from  this  time  Castano  had 
summoned  Ashton  and  Batty  by  telegram,  from 
Portland,  and  but  a  few  hours  had  elapsed  before 
those  gentlemen  were  aboard  the  fast  express 
train  en  route  for  San  Francisco. 


156  HENRY    ASHTON 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

CASTANO    INTERRUPTS   THE    MARRIAGE   CEREMONY. 

SHOCK    TO    MRS.    HIGSBEE    FROM    WHICH 

SHE  DOES  NOT  RECOVER. 

We  will  now  direct  our  attention  to  Mrs.  and 
Miss  Higsbee.  Since  we  last  looked  in  upon 
them  they  had  lived  a  quiet  life.  Nothing  unus- 
ual had  occurred  except  an  illness  of  the  elder 
lady  who  had  never  been  strong.  While  the  in- 
disposition was  not  of  an  alarming  nature,  yet  it 
largely  incapacitated  her  from  going  out.  Lilly 
was  her  almost  constant  companion.  She  could 
not  be  induced  to  absent  herself  from  her  moth- 
er's bedside  even  for  an  hour.  The  servant  girl 
was  faithful  and  kind  and  often  begged  Lilly  to 
permit  her  to  be  of  more  practical  service  to  her 
mistress,  but  though  Miss  Higsbee  did  not  often 
betray  her  feelings  in  words  spoken,  yet  she  did 
feel  that  now  she  had  but  one  dear  friend  on 
earth — her  mother.  Though  the  lodgers  of  the 
house,  were  social  and  spoke  very  kindly,  yet  she 
could  not  force  herself  to  be  cheerful  and  happy. 
She  read  but  little;  she  had  no  interest  in  any- 
thing or  in  anybody  except  her  mother;  she  al- 
most abhorred  amusements,  and  as  to  her  pros- 
pective marriage  now  to  take  place  in  a  few  days, 
she  thought  of  it  only  in  a  dazed  melancholy 
way,  and  with  feelings  such  as  she  might  have 
if  she  were  invited  to  attend  the  funeral  of  a 
friend.  At  the  time  of  which  we  write  the  wed- 
ding is  but  four  davs  distant  and  vet  the  bride 


HENRY   ASHTON  157 

has  made  no  preparation  for  that  important  event. 
She  is  spiritless  and  sad. 

Lawson  now  called  every  day.  He  had  seemed 
to  entertain  profound  concern  for  Mrs.  Higsbee 
— her  comfort  and  welfare  and  he  left  no  oppor- 
tunity unimproved  to  make  a  favorable  impres- 
sion upon  her  and  that  innocent,  deluded  lady, 
was  thoroughly  infatuated  with  him. 

Tom  Lawson  was  a  tactful  actor.  Toward  Miss 
Lilly  he  assumed  the  air  and  manner  of  the  sin- 
cere lover  and  honorable  man.  He  fully  realized 
that  he  was  playing  for  high  stakes  and  he  must 
guard  every  word  spoken  and  every  act,  and 
must  commit  no  blunders.  Every  day  he  brought 
her  a  bouquet  of  beautiful  flowers,  and  each  time 
when  he  presented  them  to  her  he  reiterated  his 
undying  love  for  her.  Miss  Higsbee  received 
these  flowers  and  with  a  faint  and  sad  but  en- 
forced smile,  responded,  "thanks,"  but  to  the 
outbursts  of  declarations  of  love  and  adoration, 
she  seldom  vouchsafed  any  reply,  but  soon  divert- 
ed the  conversation  to  other  subjects.  She  did 
not  love  the  man,  and  her  mind  was  struggling 
with  the  problem  whether  any  conceivable  condi- 
tions of  things  could  occur  in  the  world  that 
would  justify  a  woman  in  marrying  a  man  she 
does  not  love.  Her  intuitions  and  womanly  in- 
stincts said  "no,"  while  her  reason,  and  her  sense 
of  duty  to  her  mother,  and  the  dying  request  of 
her  father,  said  "yes."  Sometimes  she  was  al- 
most decided  to  peremptorily  decline  to  have  the 
marriage  ceremony  consummated,  and  then  she 
would  remember  her  father's  last  request,  and 
her  mother's  great  anxiety  for  her  to  become  the 
wife  of  Lawson,  and,  thus  vacillating  and  halting 


158  HENRY   ASHTON 

between  these  two  influences,  she  drifted  along 
the  victim  of  a  relentless  fate. 

No  elaborate  preparations  were  intended  for  the 
wedding  which  was  to  take  place  on  the  following 
Thursday  evening  at  4  :oo  p.  m.  in  the  parlor  of 
the  lodging  house  occupied  by  Mrs.  and  Miss 
Higsbee.  Mrs.  Higsbee  was  not  able  physically 
to  go  to  the  church  and  it  was  her  wish  that  the 
ceremony  should  take  place  at  the  house.  Law- 
son,  while  professing  that  it  was  his  desire  to 
be  married  before  a  large  congregation,  with 
much  ostentatious  display,  adroitly  planned  to 
have  it  as  quiet  as  possible,  while  Lilly,  having  no 
heart  in  the  matter,  and  going  as  she  would  to 
the  altar  as  the  sheep  goes  to  the  slaughter,  ap- 
proved of  the  suggestion  to  have  the  marriage 
take  place  at  the  house. 

The  eventful  evening  at  length  arrived.  Lilly 
had  made  but  little  preparation  for  the  ceremony. 
To  please  her  mother  she  consented  to  be  attired 
in  her  best  apparel,  and  carrying  out  the  wishes 
of  Mrs.  Higsbee,  had  invited  the  landlady  and 
two  or  three  lodgers  of  the  house  to  be  present. 
Lawson  arrived  an  hour  before  the  time  desig- 
nated for  the  ceremony,  accompanied  by  a  clergy- 
man of  an  obscure  suburban  church.  Lilly  and 
the  servant  had  assisted  her  mother  to  repair  to 
the  parlor.  The  company  consisting  of  nine  per- 
sons, had  now  assembled.  As  the  clock  indicated 
the  time  as  3  155,  the  minister  took  his  position 
at  one  end  of  the  room,  and  requested  the  can- 
didates for  matrimony  to  arise  to  their  feet.  As 
they  complied  with  this  request,  the  face  of  Mrs. 
Higsbee  was  wreathed  in  smiles ;  Lawson  pre- 
sented an  outward  appearance  of  calmness  and 


HENRY    ASHTON  159 

self-possession,  but  the  careful  observer  might 
have  detected  a  suppressed  nervousness  and  an 
anxious  expression  in  his  deep-set  and  cunning 
eyes.  As  for  the  bride,  she  was  as  pale  as  a 
statue,  and  almost  as  undemonstrative.  She 
slowly  arose  to  her  feet  and  stepped  forward 
supported  by  Lawson  but  there  was  no  elasticity 
in  her  step.  In  her  eyes  was  a  far  away  expres- 
sion; her  hands  were  cold;  her  lips  were  blood- 
less, and  her  whole  manner  evinced  the  abhor- 
rence which  had  flooded  her  soul  and  almost 
overwhelmed  her  at  the  thought  of  the  profane 
act  she  was  about  to  commit.  Taking  a  step  or 
two  forward  she  suddenly  stopped  and  impetu- 
ously and  with  considerable  force,  jerked  her 
hand  from  the  arm  of  her  escort,  then  for  a  sec- 
ond seemed  frightened,  then  somewhat  regaining 
her  self-possession,  again  took  hold  of  Lawson's 
arm  and  slowly  moved  forward. 

The  parlor  in  which  the  marriage  was  to  take 
place,  was  situated  on  the  first  floor,  one  door  of 
which  opened  into  a  short  but  wide  corridor  lead- 
ing to  the  office.  Just  as  the  clergyman  was 
about  to  begin  the  ceremony,  the  sound  of  foot- 
steps was  heard  in  the  hall.  Then  there  was  still- 
ness for  a  moment,  and  the  minister  had  given 
utterance  to  one  or  two  sentences  when  the  door 
swung  wide  open  and  before  the  clock  on  the 
mantel  had  ticked  ten  seconds  three  men — stran- 
gers— stepped  in  and  stood  in  the  rear  of  the 
couple  and  facing  the  minister.  The  clergyman 
looked  up  inquiringly  as  one  of  the  men  uttered 
the  words,  "stop  this !"  At  this,  Lawson,  with 
the  agility  of  an  acrobat,  turned  and  faced  the 
men. 


160  HENRY    ASHTON 

"Why  this  interruption,  gentlemen?"  he  ejacu- 
lated fiercely.  "Who  are  you  that  you  thus  in- 
trude your  presence  at  this  time  and  place." 

As  he  said  this  one  of  the  strangers,  like  a  flash, 
drew  from  his  pocket  a  revolver,  leveled  it  at 
the  breast  of  the  bridegroom,  and  with  a  firm 
voice  and  cool  and  deliberate  manner,  as  he  jerked 
his  false  whiskers  from  his  face,  said : 

"I  have  at  last  found  you,  Tom  Hartwell.  You 
know  me.  You  are  my  prisoner.  Make  no  re- 
sistance at  your  peril.  Officers  bind  the  villain 
and  remove  him  to  the  city  jail." 

At  this  the  two  officers  sprang  forward  and 
clutched  Lawson,  slipping  hand  cuffs  about  his 
wrists,  and  without  a  word  being  spoken  by  them 
or  him,  hustled  him  through  the  door  and  into  the 
hallway,  loading  him  a  few  minutes  later  into  a 
carriage  in  waiting,  and  drove  him  away  to  the 
prison. 

As  Lawson  was  being  handcuffed,  Lilly  gave 
forth  a  suppressed  scream  and  dropped  into  a 
chair  covering  her  face  with  her  hands,  and  her 
slight  frame  trembled  with  emotion.  Mrs.  Higs- 
bee  clasped  her  hands  convulsively  and  with  a 
cry  and  shudder  swooned  into  a  state  of  partial 
unconsciousness,  while  the  minister  and  the  spec- 
tators stood  like  so  many  human  beings  who  had 
been  instantly  paralyzed  by  some  mighty  myste- 
rious force. 

After  a  brief  pause  Castano  said :  "Ladies 
and  Gentlemen !  This  action  on  my  part  seems  to 
you  to  be  a  most  high-handed  and  flagrant  out- 
rage. Under  any  ordinary  circumstances  it  would 
be  most  inexcusable.  Had  I  not  the  best  of  rea- 
sons for  doing  what  I  have  done,  I  would  be  a 


HENRY    ASHTON  161 

criminal  and  deserve  the  severest  punishment. 
But  I  am  justified  both  morally  and  legally  in 
placing  this  man  under  arrest,  and  preventing  this 
proposed  marriage.  He  is  a  criminal  of  the  deep- 
est dye.  He  has  a  living  wife,  and  child.  She  is 
my  sister.  Her  heart  has  been  broken  and  her 
life  wrecked  by  this  man;  he  robbed  my  father; 
he  is  a  forger,  a  liar  and  a  thief.  Had  I  not  pre- 
vented this  marriage  he  would  have  committed 
another  crime — that  of  bigamy.  For  several  days 
I  have  had  detectives  upon  his  trail.  Through 
them  I  learned  of  this  contemplated  marriage. 
While  I  deeply  deplored  the  necessity  of  inflict- 
ing pain  on  two  innocent,  confiding  and  wickedly 
deceived  women,  I  felt  that  it  were  better  that  I  do 
so  than  to  allow  this  villain  to  consummate  an  il- 
legal union  which  would  result  in  deeper  anguish 
to  them.  To  you  young  lady — you  who  have 
been  so  wickedly  deceived,  I  have  come  as  a  deliv- 
erer. To  the  elder  lady,  whom  I  infer  is  your 
mother,  I  say  when  you  and  your  daughter  are 
fully  apprised  of  the  criminal  character  of  this 
man,  you  will  feel  that  you  have  been  placed 
under  profound  and  lasting  obligations  to  me  for 
the  act  I  have  just  performed,  though  now  you 
may  regard  me  as  an  evil  pretender.  I  shall  com- 
municate with  you  later,  and  furnish  you  proof  of 
the  blackness  of  Thomas  Lawson  Hartwell's  life. 
Here  is  my  card,  bearing  my  name  and  address, 
and  I  shall  be  at  your  service  until  I  leave  the  city 
with  my  prisoner  three  days  hence."  So  saying, 
Mr.  Castano  made  a  low  bow  and  withdrew  from 
the  room. 


162  HENRY   ASHTON 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


ASHTON  AGAIN  MEETS  MISS  HIGSBEE. 

The  reader  would  not  be  particularly  interested 
in  all  that  transpired  during  the  next  twenty-four 
hours  in  the  house  in  which  Mrs.  Higsbee  and  her 
daughter  had  apartments,  hence  the  writer  will 
omit  the  details  of  much  that  transpired.  After 
Lilly  had  somewhat  recovered  from  the  shock 
which  she  experienced  at  the  interruption  of  the 
ceremony,  and  the  statement  of  Castano,  she 
found  that  her  mother  required  her  constant  at- 
tention. Mrs.  Higsbee  was  almost  speechless  and 
was  bordering  on  spasms.  With  the  assistance  of 
others  she  was  removed  to  her  own  apartments, 
where,  for  several  hours,  she  sobbed  and  moaned 
over  the  occurrence  of  the  exciting  events  that 
had  transpired  in  the  parlor.  "Oh !  oh  !  oh  !"  she 
would  exclaim,  over  and  over  again.  "How  dread- 
ful !  how  dreadful !'"  Lilly  summoned  all  her  men- 
tal and  physical  powers  and  lovingly  and  inces- 
santly administered  to  her  every  want,  and  by  wise 
and  loving  words  spoken,  succeeded  in  a  meas- 
ure in  soothing  her  and  restoring  her  to  a  calmer 
state  of  mind.  The  young  lady  carefully  re- 
frained from  any  extended  comment  with  her 
mother  on  the  arrest  of  Lawson,  and  the  stopping 
of  the  marriage  ceremony.  When  pressed  for  her 
opinions,  she  would  only  reply :  "Dear  mother, 
let  us  trust  in  the  goodness  of  God.  He  has  sent 
his  angels  to  watch  over  us.  It  may  be  all  for  the 
best." 

Lilly  herself  had  not  fully  recovered  from  the 


HENRY   ASHTON  163 

supreme  surprise  that  she  had  experienced.  She 
had  no  knowledge  as  to  the  truthfulness  or  false- 
ness of  the  statement  that  Lawson  had  a  wife  and 
was  a  criminal  except  the  statement  of  the  stran- 
ger. Yet  she  was  happier  than  she  had  been  since 
the  sinking  of  the  Osceola.  Deep  down  in  her 
heart  was  a  wild  gladness  that  the  marriage  had 
been  prevented,  not  alone  from  what  Castano  had 
said,  but  from  an  intuition — the  whispering  to 
her  inner  consciousness,  as  if  from  an  invisible 
spirit,  that  the  stranger  had  told  the  truth  about 
Thomas  Lawson.  She  believed  that  she  had  been 
saved  from  an  awful  fate  through  the  intervention 
of  a  kind  providence  or  her  guardian  angel. 

'"It  may  be,"  she  softly  said  to  herself,  "that  the 
spirit  of  Henry  Ashton,  my  beloved,  may  have 
been  the  one  who  prevented  my  falling  into  the 
clutches  of  that  man." 

Thus  she  mused  for  hours  as  she  sat  at  the  bed- 
side of  her  mother.  Alternating  between  joy  over 
her  escape  and  anxiety  for  her  mother,  the  night 
wore  away,  and  before  the  rays  of  the  morning 
sun  began  to  lighten  up  the  eastern  sky  she  was 
rejoiced  to  see  that  her  mother  was  enjoying  a 
sound  and  apparently  refreshing  sleep,  from 
which  she  hoped  she  might  awaken  with  renewed 
physical  and  mental  strength.  Reassuring  herself 
that  her  mother  was  resting  well  and  that  she 
might  not  require  her  wakeful  attention  for  a 
brief  time,  she  softly  assumed  a  reclining  position 
on  a  couch  without  disrobing,  and,  though  not 
yet  over  the  effects  of  the  recent  excitement,  she 
was  fatigued  and  soon  fell  asleep.  The  sun  had 
ascended  high  above  the  eastern  horizon  before 
either  mother  or  daughter  awoke.    Their  slumber 


164  HENRY   ASHTON 

might  have  been  protracted  several  hours  longer 
had  Lilly  not  been  awakened  by  a  rapping  on  the 
door  of  her  room.  Quickly  springing  to  her  feet 
she  answered  the  summons.  It  was  the  landlady, 
who  had  come  to  announce  that  two  gentlemen 
had  called  and  they  desired  to  see  Miss  Higsbee 
in  the  parlor.  They  had  sent  up  no  cards,  but  had 
instructed  her  to  say  to  the  lady  that  they  were 
personal  friends  from  Melbourne,  Australia. 

"Who  can  they  be,"  thought  Lilly.  "Some  of 
father's  acquaintances,  no  doubt,  who,  having 
business  in  America,  have  heard  of  our  being  in 
San  Francisco,  and  have  called  to  pay  their  re- 
spects and  inquire  about  father." 

Glancing  at  her  mother  a  moment,  and  observ- 
ing that  she  was  still  sleeping,  Miss  Higsbee  re- 
plied : 

"Say  to  the  visitors  that  I  will  see  them  in  a 
few  minutes.  I  will  call  the  servant  to  remain 
with  mother  during  my  absence,  and  will  be  down 
directly." 

As  her  apparel  had  not  been  changed  since  she 
stood  in  the  parlor  as  a  bride  the  evening  before, 
but  a  short  time  wras  required  in  which  to  make 
herself  presentable  to  callers,  and,  after  summon- 
ing the  servant,  she  quietly  left  the  room,  closing 
the  door  behind  her,  and  descended  to  the  parlor. 
The  door  was  ajar,  and  gently  pushing  it  open, 
she  walked  in.  She  did  not  at  first  notice  the  visi- 
tors, who  were  seated  in  a  shaded  part  of  the 
room,  and  had  advanced  to  the  center  of  the  apart- 
ment before  she  observed  them.  As  they  arose 
to  their  feet  she  addressed  them,  saying : 

"Gentlemen,  I  have  come  in  response  to  your 
request.    What  is  your  pleasure?" 


HENRY    ASHTON  165 

As  she  thus  spoke,  one  of  the  men  stepped  to- 
ward her  so  suddenly  that  for  a  moment  the 
young  lady  was  startled,  and  she  withdrew  two  or 
three  steps.  The  advancing  man,  with  illy  sup- 
pressed excitement,  and  with  his  voice  choked  by 
emotion,  exclaimed :  "Lilly,  dear  Lilly !  Don't 
you  know  me?  I  am  Henry  Ashton,  alive  and 
well,  and  this  is  Mr.  Batty.  Thank  God  I  have 
found  you  at  last !" 

For  a  few  seconds  Miss  Higsbee  stood  as  one 
struck  dumb,  then  throwing  her  arms  aloft  and 
with  an  exclamation  of  joy,  rushed  into  the  open 
arms  of  her  long-lost  lover,  whom  she  had 
mourned  as  dead  and  gone  from  her  forever. 

Let  the  curtain  now  drop  and  the  reunited  lov- 
ers be  left  to  themselves  for  a  season.  Mr.  Batty, 
being  a  man  of  sound  judgment  and  wise  discre- 
tion, silently  withdrew  to  the  office,  and,  lighting 
a  cigar,  found  a  comfortable  seat  and  a  morning 
newspaper,  and  awaited  future  developments. 
That  he  was  happy — very  happy — was  most  ap- 
parent to  the  most  casual  observer.  After  finish- 
ing his  cigar  and  newspaper,  he  went  out  for  a 
short  stroll.  Returning  an  hour  later  he  was  sur- 
prised and  almost  alarmed  at  finding  Ashton  in 
the  office  summoning  a  physician  through  the  tel- 
ephone. In  answer  to  his  impatient  inquiries,  Mr. 
Batty  was  informed  that  Mrs.  Higsbee  was  alarm- 
ingly ill.  Not  long  after  Lilly  had  left  her  mother 
to  meet  the  visitors  in  the  parlor,  she  was  sum- 
moned to  return.  The  elderly  lady  had  awakened, 
but  was  unable  to  speak  and  breathed  with  great 
difficulty.  Ashton  had  accompanied  Lilly  to  the 
sick  chamber,  and  seeing  the  critical  condition  of 
Mrs.  Higsbee,  had  descended  to  the  office,  from 


1G6  HENRY    ASHTON 

whence  he  telephoned  for  a  physician.  Dr.  Ran- 
dolph, who  had  been  summoned,  was  soon  at  the 
bedside  of  the  sick  woman,  and,  after  a  hasty  ex- 
amination, said : 

"The  lady  is  suffering  from  a  severe  stroke  of 
paralysis.  I  do  not  know  what  may  have  been  her 
recent  experience,  but  the  symptoms  would  seem 
to  indicate  that  she  has  received  some  sudden  men- 
tal shock,  or  passed  through  some  unusual  excite- 
ment. She  may  linger  some  time,  but  I  fear  the 
attack  may  prove  fatal." 

The  doctor  was  correct  in  his  diagnosis.  The 
patient  was  conscious,  and,  after  a  time  could,  by 
a  painful  effort,  speak  a  few  words  to  her  attend- 
ants, but  was  utterly  helpless — was  totally  un- 
able to  move  her  limbs.  Lilly  was  in  the  deepest 
distress  over  her  mother's  condition,  and  was  most 
devoted  and  constant  in  her  ministrations.  The 
inexpressible  happiness  which  flooded  her  whole 
being  over  the  meeting  with  her  lover,  was  sadly 
clouded  by  the  fear  that  her  mother  might  die. 
Though  endowed  by  nature  with  a  great  deal  of 
fortitude  and  courage,  this  dangerous  illness  of 
her  mother  and  the  information  of  the  death  of 
her  father,  of  which  Ashton  had  fully  informed 
her,  but  which  for  prudential  reasons  were  kept 
from  her  mother,  might  have  crushed  her,  had 
Henry  Ashton  not  been  present  to  counsel  and 
support  her.  Mr.  Ashton  promptly  stepped  to  the 
front  in  this  emergency  and  assumed  every  re- 
sponsibility growing  out  of  it.  At  his  first  ap- 
pearance at  the  bedside,  Lilly  said : 

"Mother,  here  is  Henry  Ashton,  alive  and  well. 
He  was  not  drowned.  God  preserved  his  life  and 
sent  him  to  us.    Lawson  is  a  villain ;  he  wickedly 


HENRY   ASHTON  167 

deceived  us.  I  never  loved  him.  I  do  love  Mr. 
Ashton  with  all  the  intensity  of  which  a  true 
woman  is  capable.  We  are  betrothed  and  long 
have  been.  Will  you  not  forgive  him  and  bless 
our  proposed  union?" 

At  this  the  dying  woman  replied  in  faint  yet 
audible  words  with  difficulty  spoken   : 

"Yes,  yes,  my  dear  child.  I  freely,  gladly  for- 
give him  if  I  have  anything  to  forgive.  I  ask  you 
both  to  forgive  me  for  my  sad  error.  I  was  de- 
ceived in  Lawson.  I  undervalued  the  nobleness 
of  Henry  Ashton.  I  not  only  consent  to  your 
marriage,  but  it  is  my  wish  that  it  shall  take  place 
immediately,  before  I  leave  you  forever.  This  is 
my  only,  my  last  request.  I  have  but  a  brief  time 
to  live.  I  shall  be  content  to  go  after  I  see  you  the 
happy  wife  of  so  noble  and  good  a  man.  Mr. 
Ashton,  draw  near  to  me.  You  love  my  daugh- 
ter. She  is  worthy  of  your  love  and  you  are  de- 
serving of  her.  I  freely  give  her  to  you  and  may 
God  bless  you  both." 

The  dying  woman  could  say  no  more,  and  the 
)'Oung  couple  stood  still  for  several  minutes  each 
clasping  the  hand  of  the  other,  each  too  deeply 
affected  to  utter  a  single  word.  Lilly  sobbed  au- 
dibly, and  as  her  emotion  deepened,  she  grasped 
more  firmly  the  hand  of  the  man  she  adored.  Mr. 
Ashton  gently  led  her  to  a  seat  upon  the  sofa,  and 
sat  down  by  her  side. 

Later  in  the  day,  after  a  brief  consultation  with 
Dr.  Randolph  and  Mr.  Batty,  and  in  compliance 
with  the  request  of  Mrs.  Higsbee,  again  repeated, 
it  was  determined  that  the  marriage  should  take 
place  immediately,  as  it  was  the  opinion  of  the 
doctor  that  his  patient  would  last  but  a  few  hours 


168  HENRY    ASHTON 

longer.  This  being  decided,  not  an  hour  had 
elapsed  when  Mr.  Batty  returned  with  a  license 
and  a  clergyman,  and  before  thirty  minutes  more 
had  passed  Henry  Ashton  and  Lilly  Higsbee 
stood  at  the  bedside  of  the  woman,  now  rapidly 
passing  away,  and  in  the  presence  of  Mr.  Batty, 
the  attending  physician,  and  a  few  inmates  of  the 
house,  were  pronounced  husband  and  wife.  Mrs. 
Higsbee,  though  very  low,  listened  attentively  to 
the  words  of  the  minister,  and  at  their  conclusion, 
with  a  smile  of  satisfaction,  faintly  yet  audibly 
pronounced  her  blessing.  Soon  after  she  closed 
her  eyes  never  to  be  again  opened  in  this  world. 


We  shall  not  tax  the  patience  of  the  reader  with 
the  details  of  all  that  transpired  during  the  year 
subsequent  to  the  death  of  Mrs.  Higsbee  and  the 
marriage  of  Miss  Higsbee  to  Henry  Ashton.  Soon 
after  the  transpiring  of  those  events  Don  Castano 
transported  his  prisoner  to  the  scene  of  his  crimes 
in  South  America,  and,  after  a  speedy  trial,  Thom- 
as Lawson  Hartwell  was  sentenced  to  serve  in  the 
penitentiary  for  a  term  of  twenty-five  years.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ashton,  after  a  few  months  spent  in 
visiting  with  his  mother  and  other  friends  and 
acquaintances,  returned  to  Melbourne.  Mr.  Batty 
proceeded  to  Omaha  to  attend  to  the  business  of 
Col.  Higsbee,  but  found,  as  he  had  suspected  from 
information  received  from  Lilly  Ashton,  that 
Lawson  had  compromised  the  suit,  and  appro- 


HENRY    ASHTON  169 

priated  the  money  he  had  received  to  his  own  use. 
He  therefore  shortly  after  also  sailed  for  Mel- 
bourne. It  will  be  remembered  that  Col.  Higsbee, 
just  prior  to  his  death  on  shipboard,  executed  his 
last  will  and  testament,  bequeathing  all  his  large 
estate  to  his  wife  and  daughter,  in  the  event  that 
they  were  alive  and  that  such  legal  instrument 
was  entrusted  to  the  custody  of  George  Batty.  It 
is  therefore  obvious  that,  on  the  decease  of  Mrs. 
Higsbee,  Mrs.  Lilly  Ashton  became  the  sole  heir 
to  her  father's  large  estate. 

On  his  return  to  Melbourne,  Mr.  Ashton  found 
it  necessary  to  resign  his  position  as  a  railroad  en- 
gineer and  devote  most  of  his  time  and  energies  to 
attending  to  the  property  interests  belonging  to 
his  wife.  Although  he  was  now  a  rich  man,  his 
interest  in  Socialism  and  the  welfare  of  the  toiling 
masses  did  not  abate.  Large  wealth  wrought  no 
change  in  him.  He  was  the  same  kind-hearted, 
social,  generous  gentleman  as  when  he  handled 
the  engine's  throttle.  His  heart  still  beat  in  sym- 
pathy for  the  landless,  propertyless  wageworker, 
who,  deprived  of  the  comforts  of  life  by  a  hard, 
relentless  economic  system,  is  struggling  for  bet- 
ter conditions  for  himself  and  those  dependent  up- 
on him. 

One  evening  after  dinner,  while  sitting  in  the 
parlor  with  his  wife,  he  said : 

"Dear  Lilly,  I  have  just  finished  reading  an  ar- 
ticle in  an  American  publication  on  the  industrial 
conditions  as  they  exist  in  that  country.  Now  the 
people  of  the  United  States  are  perhaps  the  most 
intelligent  and  progressive  people  in  the  world  to- 
day. In  many  respects  they  enjoy  the  largest 
measure  of  political  freedom,  and  yet  there  are 


170  HENRY   ASHTON 

certain  influences  to  work  there  that  must  inevita- 
bly lead  to  serious  trouble  in  the  not  distant  fu- 
ture." 

"To  what  do  you  allude  in  particular?"  asked 
his  wife. 

"Why,  the  laboring  people,  who  include  farm- 
ers as  well  as  wage-workers,  are  restless  and  dis- 
contented. They  assert,  and  that  truthfully,  that 
they  produce  all  the  wealth,  and  yet  do  not  get 
but  about  one-sixth  of  what  they  produce.  Great 
trusts  have  been  organized  that  have  monopo- 
lized lands,  and  oil,  and  coal,  and  timber,  and  the 
mineral  mines,  and  water  power,  and  lighting 
plants,  and  meat,  and  breadstuffs,  and  clothing, 
and  transportation — in  fact,  nearly  everything. 
Thus  having  a  monopoly  of  all  production  and 
distribution,  they  have  ignored  the  law  of  supply 
and  demand,  have,  in  fact,  suspended  that  law  by 
arbitrarily  fixing  artificial  prices.  They  have  ad- 
vanced the  cost  of  living  forty  per  cent  in  a  few 
years,  while  the  wages  of  the  workers  have 
advanced  but  eight  or  ten  per  cent.  They  control 
the  utterances  of  all  the  great  newspapers,  which 
are  compelled  by  them  to  so  publish  articles  as  to 
deceive  the  masses ;  they  control  the  courts  so  that 
when  working  men  strike  for  an  increase  of 
wages  they  may  be  enjoined ;  they  control  the 
army  to  the  end  that  if  the  court  injunctions  are 
disregarded,  the  workers  may  be  shot.  They  so 
manage  their  trust  business  that  they  make  a  net 
profit  on  their  investments  of  from  fifty  to  five 
hundred  per  cent.  They  live  luxuriously,  while 
the  millions  of  working  classes  are  barely  able  to 
live  at  all.  There  are  about  six  hundred  of  the 
more  important  trusts.     Their  honest  valuation 


HENRY   ASHTON  171 

is  about  one  and  a  quarter  billions  of  dollars,  but 
they  have  stocked  them  for  about  seven  billions. 
They  have  thus  flooded  the'country  with  five  and 
three-quarter  billions  of  watered  or  fraudulent 
stocks.  It  is  hard  to  believe  that  men  laying  claim 
to  honesty  and  many  of  them  professing  to  be 
Christians,  could  be  guilty  of  such  dishonest 
methods.  A  great  and  disastrous  financial  col- 
lapse awaits  the  United  States.  The  total  amount 
of  money  in  that  Republic  of  gold,  silver  and 
paper  is  but  two  billions  of  dollars,  and  still  the 
speculative  and  stock-watering,  interest-gathering 
classes  have  succeeded  in  piling  up  an  indebted- 
ness on  the  people  of  the  United  States  the  appall- 
ing sum  of  sixty  billions  of  dollars,  or  thirty  times 
more  than  all  the  money  existing  in  the  Republic. 
They  gather  a  crop  of  interest  annually  from  the 
people,  of  three  thousand  millions  of  dollars,  or 
more  than  the  total  value  of  all  the  staple  crops 
and  the  output  of  all  the  mines  of  that  country. 
In  due  time  the  bubble  will  burst  and  millions  of 
innocent  people  will  be  crushed  by  reason  of  the 
greed  of  the  capitalistic  gambling  classes." 

"Yes,  husband,"  said  Lilly,  "I  have  also  been 
reading  along  that  line.  Everything  you  have 
mentioned  I  have  read  about,  but  to  me  the  wick- 
edest practice  of  the  trust  monopolists  is  the  en- 
slaving of  tender  children  of  the  poor,  not  only  in 
America  but  in  England,  and  other  parts  of  Eu- 
rope. I  have  been  gathering  some  statistics  on  the 
subject,  and  will  write  an  article  for  some  of  the 
publications  not  yet  owned  by  the  trusts,  and  try 
to  arouse  the  women  of  civilization  to  an  appre- 
ciation of  this  horrible  evil.  Shall  I  read  some  of 
the  statistics  to  you,  Henry  ?" 


172  HENRY    ASHTON 

"Certainly,  my  dear,"  replied  Ashton,  "I  am  re- 
joiced to  see  that  you  are  interested  in  the  mat- 
ter." 

"Well,"  said  Mrs.  Ashton,  "in  England  300,- 
000  little  children  are  working  like  slaves  in  fac- 
tories and  other  places,  and  their  wage  is  from 
12^  cents  to  $1.25  per  week,  and  there  are  600,- 

000  paupers  in  that  country.  This  does  not  seem 
to  trouble  anybody  there  except  the  Socialists. 
At  the  late  coronation  of  the  King  the  nobility 
who  add  nothing  to  the  wealth  of  the  world,  wore 
diamonds  and  apparel  valued  at  hundreds  of  mil- 
lions. Not  long  before  the  death  of  Victoria  she 
gave  a  banquet,  and  the  plate  on  the  table  was 
worth  ten  millions  of  dollars.  Can  that  be  a  Chris- 
tian country? 

"In  the  United  States  the  condition  of  the  work- 
ing people  is  little  better  than  in  England,  while 
child-slavery  may  be  seen  in  a  more  horrible  form. 

1  have  some  statistics  from  several  States  of  that 
Republic,  but  you  know  statistics  are  dry.  Shall 
I  read  them  to  you,  husband  ?" 

"Most  assuredly,"  replied  Ashton.  "Every  man 
and  woman  with  a  spark  of  sympathy  in  their 
souls  for  their  unfortunate  fellowman,  especially 
for  the  abused  little  ones,  should  be  interested  in 
such  subjects  and  should  put  forth  his  best  efforts 
to  emancipate  these  little  helpless  children." 

"Well,"  said  Mrs.  Ashton,  "the  State  Labor 
Commissioner  of  North  Carolina  reports  that  there 
are  261  cotton  mills,  in  that  State,  in  which  38,- 
637  persons  are  employed.  Of  this  number  there 
are  3,698  boys  and  4,007  girls.  Total  children 
employed,  7,605.  The  average  daily  wage  of 
those  children  is  22  cents.     (The  average  daily 


HENRY   ASHTON  173 

wage  of  men  is  57  cents  and  of  women  39  cents.) 
There  are  about  450  cotton  mills  in  the  Southern 
States. 

"Gunton's  Magazine  says :  The  ages  of  these 
children  range  from  6  to  12  years.' 

"The  Commissioner  further  says :  T  have  talked 
with  a  little  boy  of  7  years  who  worked  for  forty 
nights  in  Alabama,  and  another  child  who  at  6 
years  old  had  been  on  the  night  shift  eleven 
months.  Little  bovs  turned  out  at  2  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  afraid  to  go  home,  would  beg  a  clerk 
in  the  mill  for  permission  to  lie  down  on  the  of- 
fice floor.  In  one  city  mill  in  the  South,  a  doctor 
said  he  had  personally  amputated  the  fingers  of 
more  than  one  hundred  children,  mangled  in  the 
mill  machinery,  and  that  a  horrible  form  of  dropsy 
occurs  frequently  among  the  over-worked  chil- 
dren.' 

"One  of  the  editors  of  the  Cincinnati  Post 
wrote:  T  secured  entrance  to  the  People's  Mills 
of  Montgomery,  Alabama,  which  manufactures 
sheeting  for  the  China  trade.  In  the  spinning- 
room  I  saw  boys  and  girls  so  small  that  their  ef- 
forts to  perform  their  work  were  absolutely  pain- 
ful. In  reaching  up  to  join  the  ends  of  the  broken 
threads  they  were  obliged  to  strain  and  stretch 
every  muscle  and  sinew  of  their  frail  bodies,  and 
some  were  so  small  they  were  compelled  to  stand 
on  their  tip-toes.  Their  day's  work  was  twelve 
hours.' 

"Irene  Mackfadyn  wrote  :  'The  physical,  mental 
and  moral  effect  of  these  long  hours  of  toil  and 
confinement  on  the  children  is  indescribably  sad. 
Mill  children  are  so  stunted  that  every  foreman 
will  tell  you  that  you  cannot  judge  their  ages. 


174  HENRY    ASHTON 

The  lint  forms  in  their  lungs  a  perfect  cultivating 
medium  for  tuberculosis  and  pneumonia,  and  con- 
sumption is  common  among  them.  Many  die  after 
a  few  years  of  this  service.' 

"The  New  York  World  says  that  about  6,000 
boys  and  girls  of  tender  age  work  in  glass  and 
other  factories  in  New  Jersey,  and  Governor  Mur- 
phy of  that  State  reports  that  children  of  both 
sexes  6  and  7  years  old  work  seventeen  and  eigh- 
teen hours  per  day,  with  but  a  few  minutes  for 
pest,  dropping  back  at  their  toil,  worn  out  and  ac- 
tually driven  back  to  finish  the  long  hours  for 
which  they  are  paid  two  to  three  cents  per  hour. 

"The  Washington  Post,  commenting  on  child 
labor  in  the  South,  says :  'The  average  life  of  the 
children  after  they  go  into  the  mills  is  four  years. 
It  would  be  less  cruel  for  a  State  to  have  children 
painlessly  put  to  death  than  it  is  to  permit  them  to 
be  ground  to  death  by  this  awful  process.' 

"Years  ago,"  continued  Mrs.  Ashton,  "when 
child  slavery  in  England  was  more  than  it  is  now 
in  that  country,  Mrs.  Browning  wrote  a  poem  pro- 
testing against  it.  It  describes  existing  conditions 
in  the  United  States  to-day.    I  will  read  it  to  you : 

"do  you  hear  the  children  weeping,  0,  MY 

BROTHERS. 
"Do  ye  hear  the  children  weeping,  O  my  brothers, 

Ere  the  sorrow  comes  with  years? 
They  are  leaning  their  young  heads  against  their  moth- 
ers, 

And  that  cannot  stop  the  tears. 
The  young  lambs  are  bleating  in  the  meadows, 

The  young  birds  are  chirping  in  the  nest, 
The  young  fawns  are  playing  with  the  shadows, 

The  young  flowers  are  blowing  toward  the  west — 


HENRY    ASHTON  175 

But  the  young,  young  children,  O,  my  brothers 

They  are  weeping  bitterly ! 
They  are  weeping  in  the  playtime  of  the  others, 

In  the  country  of  the  free. 

''And  well  may  the  children  weep  before  you ! 

They  are  weary  ere  they  run ; 
They  have  never  seen  the  sunshine,  nor  the  glory 

Which  is  brighter  than  the  sun. 
They  know  the  grief  of  man,  without  its  wisdom ; 

They  sink  in  man's  despair,  without  its  calm ; 
Are  worn  as  if  with  age,  yet  unretrievingly 

The  harvest  of  its  memories  cannot  reap — 
Are  orphans  of  the  earthly  love  and  heavenly, 

Let  them  weep  !    Let  them  weep  ! 

"They  look  up  with  their  pale  and  sunken  faces, 

And  their  look  is  dread  to  see, 
For  they  mind  you  of  their  angels  in  high  places, 

With  eyes  turned  on  Deity. 
'How  long,'  they  say,  'how  long,  O  cruel  nation, 

Will  you  stand  to  move  the  world  on  a  child's  heart — 
Stifle  down  with  a  mailed  heel  its  palpitation 

And  tread  onward  to  your  throne  amid  the  mart? 
Our  blood  splashes  upward,  O  gold-reaper, 

And  yon  purple  shows  your  path ! 
But  the  child's  sob  in  the  silence  curses  deeper 

Than  the  strong  man  in  his  wrath.'  " 

"My  heart  bleeds  in  sympathy  for  these  poor, 
abused  little  ones,"  said  Mrs.  Ashton,  "and  I  feel 
that  something  should  be  done  to  prevent  such 
slavery  of  tender  children." 

"Yes,"  replied  Mr.  Ashton,  "such  things  are  a 
deep  disgrace  to  that  Christian  nation,  but,  my 
dear,  such  conditions,  and  more,  may  be  expected 
under  the  competitive  system  of  business.  These 
evils  can  never  be  abolished  till  the  competitive 


176  HENRY    ASHTON 

system  is  replaced  by  the  co-operative.  I  have 
also  some  statistics  relative  to  the  labor  situation 
in  America.  Not  only  are  the  children  enslaved 
in  the  factories,  but  men  are  enslaved  in  the  mines. 
There  are  hundreds  of  thousands  of  men  who 
work  like  abject  slaves  deep  below  the  surface  of 
the  earth,  where  they  incur  great  risk  to  life  and 
limb — who  are  paid  an  average  wage  of  but  $1.28 
for  each  working  day,  or  79  cents  for  each  day  in 
the  year.  They  live  in  rented  shacks,  for  which 
they  pay  $6.00,  an  enforced  fee  of  $6.00  for  the 
company  doctor,  an  enforced  charge  of  $5.00  for 
oil,  and  $14  for  powder  used  in  mining,  and  buy 
their  provisions  at  company  stores  where  from 
five  to  one  hundred  per  cent  is  added  to  the  price 
of  everything  sold.  The  American  financiers, 
Dun  &  Co.,  report  for  this  year  (1902)  that  the 
wages  of  miners  were  increased  but  ten  per  cent 
since  1897,  while  the  cost  of  living  increased  thir- 
ty-four per  cent. 

"While  this  is  the  condition  of  the  children  of 
the  poor  and  of  the  wage-workers  in  general,  the 
millionaires  and  multi-millionaires  continue  to 
carry  on  their  gigantic  schemes  of  forming  trusts, 
destroying  weak  competitors,  and  exploiting 
working  people.  I  have  before  me,  dear  Lilly,  the 
reports  of  the  profits  made  last  and  this  year  by 
some  of  these  American  kings.  The  profits  of  one 
of  the  great  oil  companies  was  $60,000,000  a  year, 
and  the  steel  trust,  on  an  investment  of  $25,000,- 
000,  reaped  in  eighteen  months  a  profit  of  $30,- 
000,000." 

"The  outlook  is  indeed  discouraging,"  said  Mrs. 
Ashton.    "Is  there  any  remedy  for  such  evils?" 

"Yes,"  replied  Mr.  Ashton,  "the  remedy  is  a 


HENRY    ASHTON  177 

simple  one,  but  the  masses  are  slow  to  understand 
and  apply  it.  This  menace  to  the  welfare  of  the 
people  is  happily  attracting  the  attention  of  many 
fair-minded,  kind-hearted  men  and  women,  in  all 
the  walks  of  life,  and  they  are  casting  about  for 
the  proper  methods  to  apply  to  put  a  stop  to  such 
monstrous  wrongs,  for  they  clearly  see  that  vio- 
lence, if  not  a  bloody  revolution,  will  ensue  if 
matters  are  allowed  to  go  on  for  a  long  time  as 
they  are  now  going.  Many  of  the  more  intelligent 
working  people  are  organizing  themselves  into 
labor  unions,  and  hope  in  that  way  to  better  their 
condition,  but  at  this  time  they  have  made  but  lit- 
tle progress.  Their  employers  generally  refuse  to 
recognize  such  unions,  and  will  hold  no  consulta- 
tions with  them.  If  the  men  of  the  mines  or  from 
the  shops  of  the  great  trusts,  go  out  on  a  strike, 
the  employers  cause  the  police  and  the  soldiers  to 
be  called  out  and  often  they  are  driven  back  to 
work  at  the  former  wage,  or  are  shot  down. 

"This  condition  of  things,  dear  wife,  grieves 
me  deeply.  Unless  a  remedy  is  found  and  applied 
within  a  few  years,  I  fear  America,  as  well  as 
several  of  the  European  States,  will  be  the  scene 
of  violence  and  much  bloodshed.  But  there  is  a 
remedy.  The  problem,  I  repeat,  is  easy  of  solu- 
tion." 

"And  what  remedy  for  these  industrial  ills 
would  you  propose?"  asked  Mrs.  Ashton. 

"Why,  Socialism,  of  course,  my  dear,"  rejoined 
Ashton.  "The  fundamental  doctrine  of  Socialism 
is  that  no  public  utility  or  productive  property 
should  be  owned  and  monopolized  by  private  in- 
dividuals, but  should  be  owned  and  operated  by 
the  whole  people  collectively  for  the  benefit  of  all. 


178  HENRY   ASHTON 

Land,  oil,  coal,  metals — all  raw  materials  are  val- 
ueless until  labor  is  applied  to  them.  Labor  pro- 
duces all  wealth,  and  it  is  a  violation  of  natural 
rights  for  the  idle  man,  the  non-producing  man, 
to  own  and  enjoy  wealth  that  he  has  not  earned, 
and  the  industrious  producing  man,  to  be  deprived 
of  the  possession  and  enjoyment  of  what  he  has 
earned.  In  the  collective  commonwealth,  or  So- 
cialistic state,  nothing  will  be  produced  for  profit 
for  profit  meaas  that  one  man  gets  part  or  all  an- 
other man  earns,  for  nothing.  The  remedy  for  the 
industrial  ills  heretofore  alluded  to,  is  to  'reward 
every  one  according  to  his  deeds.' 

''The  present  competitive,  system  is  intrinsically 
'a.  robber  system.  One  class  work  and  another 
class  appropriate  the  benefit  to  their  own  use. 
Now  the.  man  who,  by  cunning  and  by  specula- 
tion, and  by  monopoly,  and  by  deception,  and  by 
taking  advantage  of  his  fellow — all  of  which  he 
cnlls  business — is  the  most  successful  in  exploit- 
ing his  fellow  man  ami  securing  for  himself  the 
largest  share  of  the  earnings  of  others,  is  called 
the  'fittest,'  while  the  laborer,  the  inventor,  the 
man  or  woman  who  adds  to  the  wealth  of  thf» 
world,  is  dubbed  the  unfittest.  Socialism  says, 
'Down  with  greed,  down  with  monopoly,  down 
with  injustice,  down  with  slavery,  down  with  idle- 
ness. Up  with  generosity,  up  with  fair  play,  up 
with  justice,  up  with  freedom,  up  with  honest 
industry,  and  let  the  nation's  motto  be,  "Equal 
opportunities  to  all,  special  privileges  to  none."  : 

"Yes,  my  riear  husband,"  said  Mrs.  Ashton, 
with  enthusiasm,  "I  fully  agree  with  the  senti- 
ments you  b*  .ve  expressed,  and,  though  a  woman, 
I  v^ould  be  happy  if  I  could  do  something  that 


HENRY   ASHTON  179 

would  aid  in  bringing  about  the  triumph  of  such 
a  noble — such  a  holy  cause.  My  heart  bleeds  in 
sympathy  for  the  outraged  children,  and  the  poor 
landless,  homeless  men  and  women  who  have  been 
robbed  of  the  fruits  of  their  labor,  not  only  in 
America  but  in  Australia,  and  in  other  countries 
called  civilized.  I  have  been  asking  myself,  Am 
I  entitled  to  the  large  fortune  left  me  by  my  par- 
ents, not  a  dollar  of  which  I  have  earned  ?  I  have 
added  nothing  to  the  wealth  nor  the  wisdom  nor 
the  happiness  of  the  world.  I  feel  that  in  a  true 
sense  I  am  not  the  owner  of  this  property.  I  have 
lands,  and  houses,  and  mortgages,  and  bonds  and 
stocks.  What  service  have  I  rendered  for  them  ? 
None  whatever.  By  reason  of  laws  enacted  by 
men,  these  things  are  mine,  but  human  laws  are 
often  unjust.  According  to  strict  justice  they  do 
not  belong  to  me.  My  father  was  a  good  citizen, 
a  kind  husband  and  father,  and  he  was  recognized 
as  an  honest  man,  and  a  religious  man,  by  those 
who  believe  in  the  competitive  system.  He  and 
they  thought  any  method  of  acquiring  property 
that  was  not  in  violation  of  laws  that  men  made, 
was  an  honest  method.  Now  I  know  that  nearly 
all  of  his  great  accumulations  came  to  him 
through  speculations,  interest,  rent,  profits,  and 
dividends  on  stocks  which  cost  nothing  except  for 
the  paper  and  printing.  Having  this  knowledge, 
my  quickened  conscience  says  to  me,  that  I  must 
not  appropriate  this  property,  thus  wrung  from 
the  people  who  created  it,  to  my  selfish  personal 
uses.  I  am,  therefore,  willing,  yes,  anxious,  to 
make  use  of  these  millions  in  such  a  way  that 
mankind  will  be  benefited  and  blessed.  I  cannot 
now  refund  it  to  the  identical  persons  from  whom 


180  HENRY    ASHTON 

it  was  taken,  but  I  have  been  thinking  I  might  find 
a  way  in  which  to  use  it  for  the  well-being  of  their 
children,  or  if  not  their  children,  then  the  descend- 
ants of  others.  Have  you  thougnt  on  this  line, 
husband,  and  if  so  will  you  suggest  some  practical 
method  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  objects  I 
have  hinted  at?  Are  you  willing  to  second  my 
efforts  in  that  direction?" 

"I  have  given  the  subject  much  earnest 
thought,"  replied  Mr.  Ashton,  "and  I  am  rejoiced 
to  know  that  you  have  arrived  at  the  conclusion 
you  have.  With  all  my  heart  I  shall  assist  you  in 
executing  your  plans." 

Ashton  arose  from  his  seat,  walked  over  to  his 
wife,  and  dropping  to  one  knee  and  placing  his 
arm  about  her,  and  imprinting  a  kiss  upon  her 
lips,  said :  "My  dear  Lilly,  I  loved  you  from  the 
day  when  I  first  say  you.  and  now  I  both  love  and 
adore  you  with  a  deeper  devotion  than  ever  be- 
fore." 


CHAPTER  XX. 

HOW  THE  GREAT  WEALTH  OF  THE  HIGSBEE  ESTATE 
WAS  MADE  TO  CONTRIBUTE  TO  THE  INAUGURA- 
TION OF  THE  FAMOUS  CO-OPERATIVE  COMMON- 
WEALTH IN  THE  ISLAND  OF  ZANLAND,  AND  THE 
CAPITAL-LABOR  PROBLEM  SOLVED. — AMERICAN 
VISITORS  DELIGHTED  OVER  WHAT  THEY  SAW  IN 
THAT  PROSPEROUS  ISLAND. 

A  few  days  after  the  conversation  mentioned 
in  the  preceding  chapter  had  occurred,  Mr.  Ash- 


HENRY    ASHTON  181 

ton  invited  his  wife  into  the  library  room,  and, 
after  they  were  seated,  said : 

"Lilly,  a  short  time  ago  you  requested  me  to 
submit  for  your  consideration  a  plan  by  which 
you  might  put  to  the  uses  of  humanity  your  for- 
tune. I  have  been  pondering  over  your  sugges- 
tion, and  elaborating  such  a  plan.  I  am  now  ready 
to  submit  it  to  you.  I  propose  that  we  devote  our 
lives  and  our  fortunes  to  the  work  of  establishing 
a  Co-operative  or  Collective  Commonwealth. 
That  we  may  not  do  for  a  great  nation,  but  I 
am  sure  we  can  on  a  small  scale,  and  yet  of  suffi- 
cient magnitude  to  furnish  a  pattern  which  the 
people  of  a  State,  or  an  empire,  might  easily  and 
profitably  adopt.  Your  father  left  you  large  prop- 
erties in  the  near-by  island  of  Zanland,  consisting 
of  lands,  mines,  timber,  railroad  stocks,  etc.  The 
lands  of  this  island  are  fertile ;  it  is  well-watered ; 
contains  coal,  copper,  iron,  silver  and  gold  mines, 
and  oil.  It  has  all  the  natural  resources  to  sup- 
port a  large  population.  It  already  contains  a 
population  of  one  million  of  inhabitants,  with 
large  towns,  some  manufacturing,  considerable 
agriculture,  and  two  or  three  railroads.  While 
the  people  are  doing  business  under  the  competi- 
tive system,  they  are  intelligent  and  progressive. 
Now  I  propose  that  we  devote  our  fortune  and 
our  energies  to  the  work  of  converting  that  little 
Republic  into  a  Socialistic  State.  It  will  be  no 
small  undertaking.  We  will  at  first  be  misunder- 
stood and  often  misrepresented ;  we  will  be  called 
agitators  and  disturbers  of  the  peace  and  quiet  of 
the  community,  and  some  of  the  more  ignorant  as 
well  as  some  who  are  wealthy  from  having  ex- 
ploited their  fellows,  will  report  that  we  are  an- 


182  HENRY   ASHTON 

archists.  The  aristocratic  classes  will  ignore  us ; 
some  of  the  clergy,  who  are  Christians  only  in 
name,  will  preach  against  us,  and  the  lawyers  and 
courts  will  denounce  us  for  disturbing  vested 
rights.  We  will  be  called  upon  to  exercise  pa- 
tience and  practice  forbearance.  To  a  great  ex- 
tent we  will  have  to  become  martyrs.  Are  we  pre- 
pared to  make  all  this  sacrifice,  my  dear,  to  the  end 
that  we  may  bring  great  blessings  to  our  fellow- 
men,  especially  to  the  generations  yet  unborn  ?" 

"Yes,  yes,  my  dear  husband,"  responded  Mrs. 
Ashton,  "we  are  prepared.  I  have  given  the  whole 
subject  my  most  earnest  thought.  I  have  asked 
for  divine  assistance  in  arriving  at  a  correct  con- 
clusion, and  I  am  fully  prepared  to  undertake  the 
work.  All  the  great  souls  of  all  the  past  were  os- 
tracized, persecuted,  imprisoned  or  crucified  for 
opposing  old  errors  and  endeavoring  to  bring  new 
and  better  conditions  to  their  kind,  but  they  fal- 
tered not,  and  to-day  the  world,  while  enjoying 
the  fruits  of  their  great  endeavors,  also  honors 
their  memory,  and  they,  themselves,  are  wearing 
crowns  of  glory  in  the  land  of  exalted  spirits.  Let 
us  not  delay  but  enter  upon  our  great  work  for 
humanity  at  once." 

"Bravo !  bravo !  my  dear  little  wife !"  enthusias- 
tically ejaculated  Ashton.  "We  shall  set  about 
at  once  to  carry  out  our  plans." 

On  the  following  day  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashton 
held  another  conference  on  the  subject,  which  now 
engrossed  their  entire  time  and  attention.  At  this 
interview  Ashton  said : 

"The  first  thing  for  us  to  do  is  for  each  of  us 
to  make  a  tour  of  Zanland  and  speak  publicly  to 
the  people,  and  to  interest  as  many  others  as  pos- 


HENRY   ASHTON  183 

sible  to  do  likewise.  In  these  addresses  we  shall 
show  from  statistics  and  otherwise  the  grievous 
defects  of  our  present  economic  system,  and  the 
inconceivable  advantage  that  would  redound  to 
the  masses  if  they  were  to  change  it  into  a  co-op- 
erative. The  people  must  be  educated.  Proper 
literature  must  also  be  distributed  among  them. 
At  the  present  time  all  the  newspapers  of  the  isl- 
and, except  a  very  few,  are  either  owned  or  are 
subsidized  by  the  trusts  and  other  monopolists, 
and  no  assistance  to  our  cause  can  be  expected 
from  them.  In  fact,  we  may  expect  their  persist- 
ent ridicule  and  misrepresentation. 

Here  Mrs.  Ashton  interrupted  by  saying: 
"Would  it  not  be  a  good  idea,  husband,  for  us  to 
establish  a  printing  office  and  issue  daily,  or  week- 
ly, a  Socialist  newspaper  through  which  the  truth 
might  be  told.  The  press  is  a  great  power  for 
good  or  for  evil." 

"A  capital  idea,"  responded  Ashton.  "Yes,  it 
is  settled.  We  could  expend  several  thousand  dol- 
lars to  no  better  purpose  than  to  establish  a  print- 
ing plant  at  Centralia,  the  capital,  and  print  and 
send  out  Socialist  reading  matter  and  a  weekly 
journal.  I  most  heartily  second  your  suggestion, 
and  that  much  of  our  programme  is  settled.  It 
shall  be  done.  Now  our  next  effort  should  be  to 
teach  the  people  to  change  the  form  of  govern- 
ment and  turn  it  into  a  pure  democracy,  'a  gov- 
ernment of  the  people,  by  the  people,  and  for  the 
people.'  To  accomplish  this  is  the  first  and  most 
important  practical  step  in  the  great  work  we 
contemplate.  That  accomplished,  the  foundation 
will  be  laid  for  an  ideal  government.  The  rapid- 
ity with  which  the  remaining  steps  are  taken  will 


184  HENRY    ASHTON 

depend  on  the  intelligence  of  the  people  them- 
selves. My  conviction  is,  that  with  Direct  Leg- 
islation established,  the  masses  will  soon  inaugu- 
rate full  Socialism.  I  sincerely  hope  so,  and  yet 
I  would  not  urge  them  to  go  too  fast.  All  the 
problems  involved  in  the  transition  from  the  old 
to  the  new  economic  system,  must  be  threshed 
out.  Even  with  Direct  Legislation  in  full  force 
and  effect,  we  may  not  fully  anticipate  all  that  the 
people  may  do.  They  must  experiment.  I  have 
personally  well-defined  plans  for  the  inaugura- 
tion of  Socialism,  and  shall  work  for  their  adop- 
tion, and  hope  for  their  acceptance,  but  no  one 
may  accurately  predict  just  how,  nor  when,  the 
full-fledged  Collective  Commonwealth  may  be  es- 
tablished." 

"Yes,  I  think  you  are  correct  in  your  conclu- 
sions," replied  Mrs.  Ashton,  "but  after  we  suc- 
ceed in  prevailing  upon  the  people  to  adopt  the 
Initiative  and  Referendum,  what  immediate  next 
steps  would  you  advise  the  people  to  take  ?" 

"Next,  as  the  land,  and  coal,  and  minerals,  and 
oil,  and  water,  and  electricity  are  nature's  raw  ma- 
terials," said  Ashton,  "and  necessary  for  man's 
existence,  and  as  they  were  not  made  by  any  act 
of  man,  it  is  obvious  they  should  never  be  owned 
by  private  individuals.  They  of  right — natural 
right — belong  to  all  the  people  collectively.  There- 
fore the  people  collectively  should,  by  legal  au- 
thority, assume  ownership  of  them  as  well  as  of 
all  other  public  necessities." 

"Would  the  taking  over  of  these  public  utilities 
be  the  exercise  of  some  new  power  by  the  govern- 
ment?" asked  Mrs.  Ashton. 

"No,  not  at  all,"  replied  Ashton.     "The  right 


HENRY   ASHTON  185 

of  the  people,  acting  through  established  channels, 
to  adopt  such  laws  or  regulations  as  the  people 
may  desire,  is  recognized  now  by  every  civilized 
country  on  earth.  The  people  are  supreme  in 
matters  of  government.  They  can  make  and  un- 
make all  laws.  Individual  or  private  rights  are  in- 
ferior to  the  rights  of  the  public.  The  taking 
over  to  the  public  lands,  mines  or  any  species  of 
property  owned  by  individuals  is  strictly  in  ac- 
cordance to  precedent  long  established.  Now,  on 
these  fundamental  principles,  first,  the  establish- 
ment of  a  pure  democracy ;  second,  the  collective 
ownership  of  public  necessities,  I  propose  we  go 
to  work  to  establish  our  Socialist  State  in  the  isl- 
and of  Zanland." 

"I  most  heartily  endorse  your  proposition,"  said 
Mrs.  Ashton,  "and  let  us  begin  immediately  to 
carry  out  our  plans." 

Not  twenty-four  hours  had  passed  before  two 
earnest  souls,  fired  by  love  for  humanity,  had 
mapped  out  their  future  course,  and  had  taken 
several  initiatory  steps  in  furtherance  of  their 
plans.  Mr.  Batty,  trusted  friend  and  able  lawyer, 
was  called  into  counsel,  and  his  services  secured 
in  formulating  a  system  which  was  destined  to 
become  a  great  success — one  that  presented  a 
practical  solution  of  the  economic  problem  of  the 
ages,  brought  untold  blessings  to  millions  of  hu- 
man beings,  and  sent  the  names  of  Mr.  and  Mrs- 
Henry  Ashton  and  George  Batty  down  the  ages 
as  public  benefactors. 

Several  years  have  passed  since  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ashton  inaugurated  their  Socialistic  movement  in 
Zanland.     Let  us  now  review  their  work  and 


186  HENRY   ASHTON 

ascertain  what  measure  of  success  they  have  at- 
tained. That  they  might  be  in  close  touch  with 
their  work  they  had,  themselves,  taken  up  their 
residence  on  the  island. 

The  writer  of  this  narrative,  having  read  im- 
perfect and  fragmentary  descriptions  of  the  ideal 
government  of  Zanland,  determined  to  visit  the 
place  in  person,  and  personally  acquaint  himself 
with  the  people,  their  mode  of  living  and  of  tran- 
sacting business.  In  company  with  a  friend  of  an 
inquiring  mind,  we  left  New  York  for  Australia 
and  proceeded  to  Zanland.  We  made  the  long 
journey  in  safety,  and  on  our  arrival  at  Centralia 
lost  no  time  in  calling  on  the  Ashtons.  We  were 
met  by  a  most  cordial  reception.  After  spending 
several  days  in  traveling  over  the  country,  look- 
ing at  the  well-tilled  farms,  going  down  into  the 
mines,  visiting  the  manufactories,  and  the  schools, 
and  public  libraries,  and  museums,  the  pleasure 
resorts  and  other  interesting  places,  an  appoint- 
ment was  made  with  the  Ashtons  for  an  interview, 
at  which  Air.  Ashton  remarked  he  would  take 
great  pleasure  in  answering  all  interrogatories  re- 
lating to  the  inauguration  and  practical  working 
of  the  economic  system  which  had  been  crowned 
by  such  satisfactory  results.  The  writer  and  his 
friend,  Rev.  Benjamin  M.  Fay,  called  at  the  Ash- 
ton home  promptly  at  the  appointed  time  for  the 
meeting,  and  were  warmly  welcomed  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ashton  and  invited  into  the  library  room, 
where  we  met  for  the  first  time  Mr.  George  Batty, 
ex-attorney,  now  the  associate  of  and  co-worker 
with  the  Ashtons. 

After  the  usual  greetings  had  been  exchanged 


HENRY    ASHTON  187 

and  some  pleasant  general  conversation  was  in- 
dulged in,  Mr.  Ashton  said  : 

"Well,  gentlemen,  I  understand  you  have  come 
all  the  way  from  the  United  States  to  investigate 
affairs  in  Zanland.  What  is  it  you  most  desire  to 
know  about  us  here  on  this  island?" 

''We  have,"  said  the  editor,  "heard  much  about 
your  form  of  government  and  your  economic  sys- 
tem. We  have  heard  it  most  highly  commended, 
and  on  the  other  hand  have  heard  it  condemned. 
If  it  is  your  pleasure  to  inform  us,  we  would  be 
greatly  gratified  if  you  would  give  us  a  history  of 
your  work  here,  how  you  started  your  Collective 
Commonwealth,  and  what  are  the  results.  This 
we  desire  for  our  own  personal  satisfaction  and 
also  for  the  purpose  of  acquainting  the  American 
people  through  the  press  on  our  return,  with  a 
correct  history  of  your  movement." 

"With  the  greatest  of  pleasure,"  replied  Ash- 
ton, "shall  I  respond  to  your  request,  so  far  as  I 
am  able,  assisted  by  my  wife  and  Mr.  Batty,  who 
deserve  as  much  or  more  credit  than  is  due  me 
for  the  great  work  that  has  been  accomplished 
here. 

"To  begin  with,"  continued  Ashton,  "we  began 
our  work  by  agitation,  by  educating  the  people  to 
understand  that  it  would  be  to  their  best  interests 
and  the  interests  of  future  generations  to  estab- 
lish a  pure  democratic  form  of  government. 
When  that  was  accomplished  then  all  the  other 
good  things  followed.  In  all  the  republican,  or 
representative  governments,  the  so-called  public 
servants  are  really  not  the  servants  of  the  people 
who  elected  them,  but  they  are  their  rulers  and 
can  defy  the  people  until  their  official  term  ex- 


188  HENRY   ASHTON 

pires.  When  men  get  into  the  law-making  bodies 
they  are  too  often  influenced  by  lobbies  to  vote  for 
measures  the  people  do  not  want,  and  refuse  to 
pass  laws  which  the  people  do  want ;  therefore,  all 
our  first  efforts  were  directed  to  bringing  about  a 
partial  abolition  of  a  representative  government 
and  the  establishment  in  its  stead  of  a  democracy, 
under  which  the  people  directly  make  and  unmake 
the  laws.  This  movement  we  called  the  Initiative 
and  Referendum.  Simultaneously  with  this  de- 
mand we  also  advocated  the  Imperative  Man- 
date." 

"Will  you  be  so  kind  as  to  explain  quite  fully 
those  terms?"  asked  Rev.  Fay. 

"Certainly,"  replied  Ashton.  "I  can  best  do  so, 
perhaps,  by  giving  you  our  mode  of  procedure 
now,  since  we  have  the  Initiative  and  Referendum 
in  good  working  condition : 

"We  have  a  legislative  body  consisting  of  but 
one  branch,  which  we  have  named  the  General 
Assembly.  There  is  no  Senate.  Delegates  to  the 
Assembly  are  elected  for  a  term  of  two  years. 
Laws  enacted1  by  this  Legislature  are  valid  and 
binding  unless  disapproved  of  by  a  majority  of 
the  people.  We  have  a  President,  but  he  can  veto 
no  bills  passed.  The  people  alone  exercise  the 
veto  power.  When  eight  per  cent  of  the  people  of 
either  sex  over  twenty-one  years  of  age  are  dis- 
satisfied with  any  legislative  enactment,  they  can, 
by  petition,  require  such  law  to  be  submitted  to 
the  voters  for  ratification  or  rejection  by  a  ma- 
jority of  voters  at  the  polls.  Eight  per  cent  of  all 
the  voters  can  also  cause  any  proposed  law  they 
may  desire  to  be  submitted  to  the  people,  whether 
first  enacted  or  not  by  the  Assembly.    All  import- 


HENRY    ASHTON  189 

ant  laws  are  thus  passed  upon  by  the  people  them- 
selves. Now,  this  we  call  the  Initiative  and  Ref- 
erendum, and  you  may  readily  see  that  this  inevi- 
tably put  an  end  to  the  work  of  lobbies  and  cor- 
rupt men  in  the  legislative  bodies." 

'That  strikes  me  very  favorably,"  said  Mr. 
Fay,  "but  what  is  the  Imperative  Mandate." 

"The  Imperative  Mandate  is  our  method  for 
calling  upon  any  public  officer  to  step  down  and 
out  before  his  term  has  expired,  if  he  proves  false 
to  his  trust,"  said  Ashton.  "Any  public  servant, 
be  he  president,  legislator,  judge,  or  any  other 
office-holder,  can  thus  be  called  home  at  any  time 
by  a  majority  vote  of  the  people.  This  power  ex- 
ercised when  occasion  requires  it  to  be  applied, 
keeps  all  our  officials  true  to  the  best  interests  of 
the  people.  Right  here  let  me  add,  gentlemen, 
that  our  theory  was  from  the  first  that,  if  we  could 
establish  Direct  Legislation  and  the  Right  of  Re- 
call, that  the  foundation  of  an  ideal  Common- 
wealth would  be  laid  broad,  and  deep,  and  perma- 
ment,  and  all  other  desirable  things  would  natur- 
ally and  easily  follow  in  due  time,  for  then  all 
political  power  would  be  not  in  representatives  of 
the  people  but  in  the  hands  of  all  the  people  them- 
selves." 

Mrs.  Ashton  here  signified  a  desire  to  speak, 
when  her  husband  said  :  "Speak,  my  dear,  perhaps 
I  may  be  omitting  to  mention  something  import- 
ant at  this  point." 

"It  occurred  to  me,"  said  Mrs.  Ashton,  "that 
the  gentlemen  might  be  interested  in  knowing  that 
among  the  first  important  steps  taken  after  the 
people  of  Zanland  became  enthused  by  a  progres- 
sive spirit,  was  to  enfranchise  women,  and  place 


190  HENRY   ASHTON 

them  on  a  civil  and  political  equality  with  the 
male  sex." 

"Yes,"  responded  Ashton,  "I  might  have  for- 
gotten to  mention  that,  and  yet  I  would  have  been 
very  stupid  had  I  not  remembered  it,  and  accord- 
ed great  credit  to  such  action.  I  very  much  doubt 
if  our  movement  to  establish  the  Commonwealth 
would  have  been  successful  had  the  right  to  vote 
and  hold  any  office  in  the  gift  of  the  people  been 
withheld  from  women.  In  fact,  I  feel  quite  per- 
suaded that  it  would  have  been  a  dismal  failure." 

"Did  you  not  encounter  much  and  fierce  opposi- 
tion to  such  innovations  on  old  and  revered  cus- 
toms as  Direct  Legislation  and  Equal  Suffrage 
were?"  asked  Mr.  Fay. 

"Yes,  decidedly  so,"  said  Ashton.  "The  first 
steps  were  not  taken  until  after  a  long  and  bitter 
contest,  as  the  capitalists  generally  opposed  the 
movement  and  freely  predicted  its  ignominious 
failure  if  established.  For  some  time  they,  by 
sophistry  and  dismal  prophesies,  kept  the  votes  of 
the  farmers  and  wage-workers  divided  between 
the  Republican  and  Democrat  parties,  but  the  toil- 
ers finally  came  to  understand  that  they  could  not 
improve  their  condition  in  that  way,  so  they  with- 
drew from  the  old  parties  and  went  over  to  the 
Socialists.  By  uniting  their  votes  they  had  a  ma- 
jority and  were  thus  enabled  to  enact  just  such 
laws  as  they  desired.  This  having  been  accom- 
plished, the  good  things  which  we  now  enjoy 
came  along  in  quick  succession." 

"After  the  Socialists  gained  a  majority  of  votes 
what  important  changes  did  they  first  inaugu- 
rate?" asked  the  editor. 

"The  first  radical  movement  they  made,"  an- 


HENRY  ASHTON  191 

swered  Ashton,  "after  the  adoption  of  Direct  Leg- 
islation and  the  Right  of  Recall,  was  to  Socialize 
the  land  and  the  more  important  public  utilities.  A 
law  was  enacted  which  provided  for  the  taking 
over  to  the  State  all  lands  not  improved  or  occu- 
pied, without  any  compensation  to  their  so-called 
private  owners.  The  Commonwealth  also  as- 
sumed ownership  of  all  improved  and  occupied 
lands,  including  railway  and  steamship  lines.  The 
people  caused  an  appraisement  of  the  value  of  the 
improvements  to  be  made  and  compensated  the 
owners  of  the  same  to  the  amount  of  the  appraise- 
ment, issuing  to  them  'Commonwealth  Due 
Bills,"  which  bear  no  interest,  redeemable  at  the 
option  of  the  State  in  from  five  to  twenty  years  in 
gold  or  silver  bullion,  coal,  iron,  farm  products, 
or  any  other  commodity  produced  collectively  in 
the  island.  Under  this  law  no  one  is  ejected  from 
his  home,  but  he  is  given  the  right  to  occupy  the 
place  so  long  as  he  may  desire,  but  he  cannot  sell 
the  premises  nor  transmit  them  to  heirs  by  will. 
If  he  should  voluntarily  remove  from  the  place, 
he  loses  his  right  to  again  occupy  it  without  per- 
mission from  the  State  through  the  proper  offi- 
cials. This  wrought  no  hardship  because  he  can 
move  into  any  other  place  that  may  be  vacant. 
Residents  may  also  exchange  their  places  of  resi- 
dence, each  with  the  other,  when  they  so  mutually 
agree." 

"I  can  see  how  the  less  important  properties 
might  be  easily  managed,"  said  Mr.  Fay,  "but  did 
you  not  find  it  much  more  difficult  to  take  over 
the  railroads  and  transportation  lines  ?" 

"No,"  said  Ashton,  "those  properties  were  also 
acquired  by  the  State  without  trouble.    Upon  in- 


192  HENRY    ASHTON 

vestigation  we  found  that  'The  Zanland  Island 
Railroad'  had  cost  originally  its  private  owners 
but  three  millions  of  dollars,  but  they  had  watered 
the  stock  to  an  equal  amount  and  represented  to 
the  public  that  it  had  cost  six  millions ;  they  were 
charging  the  public  for  the  carrying  of  freight 
and  passengers  an  exorbitant  rate — so  large  that 
they  were  enabled  to  make  enormous  dividends 
annually,  which  went  into  the  pockets  of  the  men 
who  held  these  fictitious  stocks.  They  had  pat- 
terned after  the  United  States  where  the  total 
cost  of  all  the  railroads  was  six  billions  of  dollars, 
but  they  had  been  stocked  at  twelve  billions.  The 
president  of  the  Island  Railroad  received  a  salary 
of  $40,000  per  year,  and  the  other  officers  were 
paid  in  proportion,  while  the  daily  laborers  got 
but  90  cents  to  $1.50  per  day.  These  facts  were 
laid  before  the  people  and  they  said : 

"  'The  railroads  are  a  public  necessity.  They 
ought  not  to  be  owned  privately.  Once  wagon 
roads  and  turnpikes  were  private  property,  and 
the  owners  put  up  toll-gates  and  collected  money 
from  every  one  who  traveled  on  those  roads. 
Then,  as  public  necessity  required  their  convert- 
ing to  public  uses,  the  public  took  them.  We 
should  do  likewise  with  the  railroads.  The  pri' 
vatt  owners  of  these  roads  have  no  right  to 
monopolize  machinery  and  the  power  of  steam 
and  deprive  the  masses  of  the  advantage  of  the 
discovery  of  nature's  forces,  and  deceive  the  peo- 
ple as  to  the  cost  of  the  property  and  charge  ex- 
orbitant prices  for  their  services,  and  force  their 
employes  to  work  at  starvation  wages.  The  farm- 
ers especially  complained  that  a  few  railway  mag- 
nates not  only  overcharged  them  for  carrying 


HENRY   ASHTON  193 

their  goods  to  market,  but  compelled  them  to  pay 
excessive  prices  for  coal  and  iron  and  manufac- 
tured goods,  which  they  had  to  buy.  A  law  was 
therefore  enacted  directing  that  all  railway  and 
steamship  properties  be  duly  appraised  at  their 
actual  value,  exclusive  of  the  value  of  the  land 
occupied,  the  private  owners  paid  the  appraise- 
ment price  and  the  property  turned  over  to  the 
State  to  be  operated  under  State  supervision." 

"What  became  of  the  thousands  of  employes?" 
asked  Mr.  Fay. 

"Why,  they  kept  right  on  at  work,  of  course," 
said  Ashton,  "just  as  they  would  have  done  if  one 
private  company  had  purchased  the  road  of  an- 
other  company.  They  were  now  working  for  the 
State  instead  of  a  private  corporation,  and  theii 
hours  of  service  per  day  were  less,  while  theii 
wages  were  much  more." 

"You  spoke,  Mr.  Ashton,  of  the  farmers  being 
especially  dissatisfied  with  the  treatment  accorded 
their  class  by  the  railroads  and  trusts,"  said  Mr. 
Fay.  "Now,  I  am  aware  that  the  monopolists 
increased  the  cost  of  living  of  the  wage-workers 
without  materially  raising  their  wages,  but  I  do 
not  so  clearly  see  how  the  farmer  was  seriously 
damaged  by  them.  Will  you  please  to  make  that 
plain  ?" 

"Most  assuredly,"  replied  Ashton.  "The  farm- 
ers and  mechanics  have  no  trust  or  monopoly.  In 
your  country  they  sell  in  a  competitive  market 
and  buy  in  large  part  in  a  monopoly  market. 
That  is,  they  sell  low  and  buy  high,  and  the  wider 
and  stronger  the  grasp  of  monopoly  upon  the  in- 
dustries, the  lower,  relatively,  the  farmer  and  la- 
borer will   sell,   and  the  higher,   relatively,   the 


194  HENRY    ASHTON 

prices  at  which  they  must  buy.  Wealth  goes 
from  the  farmer  in  corn,  cotton,  wheat,  etc.,  and 
equal  wealth  does  not  come  back  simply  because 
the  monopolist's  profit  is  many  times  bigger  than 
the  farmer's  profit.  For  example,  barbed  wire 
went  up  150  per  cent,  while  cereals  fell  15  per 
cent  from  1898  to  1900 — that  is,  for  each  100 
pounds  of  barbed  wire  the  wire  trust  takes  three 
times  as  many  bushels  of  grain  from  the  farmer 
as  was  required  three  years  ago,  or  for  the  same 
quantity  of  grain  the  farmer  gets  only  one-third 
as  many  pounds  of  barbed  wire  as  in  1898. 

"The  wealth  coming  to  the  farmer  in  return  for 
the  wealth  that  goes  from  him  is  growing  less  and 
less  in  the  United  States.  The  trusts  are  rapidly 
increasing  in  number  and  power,  the  farmer  is 
paying  more  and  more  tribute  to  these  kings 
of  commerce  every  year.  The  great  cities  where 
the  monopolists  live  are  growing  relatively  richer 
month  by  month,  and  the  country  districts  poorer. 
The  Gulf  stream  sets  from  the  farmer  to  the 
counting-room  of  the  monopolists.  The  trusts 
are  absorbing  the  wealth  of  the  country. 

"If  the  Nation's  income  is  twenty-five  billions 
a  year,  and  the  trusts  and  monopolies  take  five 
billions  more  than  their  goods  or  services  are  en- 
titled to,  there  are  five  billions  less  than  there 
ought  to  be  to  go  to  the  farmers,  the  merchants 
and  laboring  men.  And  as  trusts  extend  their 
power  the  tribute  paid  to  them  becomes  greater 
and  greater. 

"This  the  farmers  of  Zanland  finally  came  to 
understand  and  they  in  company  with  the  wage 
workers  and  mechanics  joined  the  Socialists  and 
were  the  main  factors  in  establishing  the  Co-op- 


HENRY   ASHTON  195 

erative  Commonwealth."  Here  the  editor  inter- 
rupted by  saying : 

"You  spoke,  Mr.  Ashton,  of  paying  the  pri- 
vate owners  of  the  railroads  and  steamship  lines 
the  appraisement  price.  Will  you  kindly  explain 
in  what  did  you  pay  them.  I  understand  you 
coin  no  metal  money  in  the  island.  Did  the  state 
issue  bonds?" 

"The  Commonwealth  issued  'promises  to  pay,' 
which  for  the  sake  of  convenience  might  be  called 
bonds,"  replied  Ashton.  "These  notes  bore  no 
interest,  and  were  redeemable  in  from  five  to 
twenty  years  at  the  option  of  the  state,  in  gold  or 
silver  bullion,  wheat,  corn,  cotton  or  any  product 
of  the  Collective  Commonwealth.  The  state  re- 
served the  right  to  redeem  all  or  only  a  part  of 
these  bonds  in  the  manner  and  time  mentioned, 
such  right  to  be  enforced  if  at  any  time  it  should 
appear  that  owing  to  any  national  calamity,  such 
as  shortness  of  crops,  or  other  misfortunes,  of 
great  magnitude,  the  interests  of  the  people  de- 
manded such  manner  of  liquidation.  This  right 
to  thus  withhold  payment,  is  based  on  the  prin- 
ciple that  the  interests  and  well-being  of  all  the 
people  are  greater  than  the  interests  of  the  few." 

"Are  there  not  some  elements  of  repudiation 
in  that  method,  Mr.  Ashton?"  asked  Mr.  Fay. 

"No.  Our  action  could  not  be  construed  as  re- 
pudiation," replied  Ashton,  "for  the  state  will 
redeem  all  its  obligations — not  in  what  Europe 
and  America  call  money — but  in  the  products  of 
our  Collective  Commonwealth.  The  reservation 
to  which  you  perhaps  allude,  is  to  be  insisted  upon 
only  in  case  of  national  emergency.  The  right 
to  exercise  such  power  has  long  been  recognized 


196  HENRY   ASHTON 

by  the  governments  of  the  world  and  has  been 
exercised  by  them  in  great  and  exceptional  emer- 
gencies." 

"Did  not  the  incurring  of  such  large  indebted- 
ness seriously  embarrass  you  ?"  asked  the  editor. 

"Not  in  the  least,"  answered  Ashton.  "As  the 
government  appraisers  squeezed  out  $1,500,000 
of  watered  stocks,  and  appraised  the  value  of  the 
railway  properties  at  the  cost  of  the  material  and 
labor  used  in  their  construction,  excluding  the 
value  of  the  land  which  always  did  of  natural 
right  belong  to  all  the  people,  the  amount  re- 
maining for  the  state  to  pay  was  very  moderate. 
It  was  found  after  the  state  had  operated  the 
railroads  two  years,  that  the  people  were  saved 
a  sum  several  thousands  of  dollars  in  excess  of 
the  amount  of  bonds  given  its  private  owners  for 
the  property.  It  was  at  first  suggested  by  some 
that  the  state  refuse  to  purchase  the  Island  rail- 
roads and  to  construct  new  government  lines. 
Those  favoring  that  argued  that  by  so  doing  the 
state  would  have  better  machinery  and  rolling 
stock  and  more  modern  equipments.  There  were 
many  good  features  in  that  proposition  but  a  ma- 
jority thought  best  to  take  over  the  lines  already 
constructed.  The  private  owners  of  the  rail- 
roads and  the  steamship  lines  were  greatly  alarm- 
ed at  the  proposition  that  the  people  might 
build  their  own  roads  and  their  own  ships,  for 
they  well  knew  that  if  that  were  done,  freight 
and  passengers  would  be  carried  at  cost  of  ser- 
vice and  they  would  be  speedily  bankrupted  ;  they 
therefore  implored  the  people  to  buy  their  prop- 
erty at  any  price  the  people  might  be  willing  to 
pay,  and  to  compensate  them  for  the  same  in 


HENRY   ASHTON  197 

whatever  the  Commonwealth  might  deem  proper. 
And  I  might  here  add  that  the  telegraph  and 
telephone  systems,  the  water  and  lighting  plants 
and  many  other  public  utilities  became  the  prop- 
erty of  the  people  collectively  in  the  same  way. 
In  every  instance  the  private  owners  were  ex- 
tremely anxious  to  dispose  of  their  plants  to  the 
state.  Not  one  of  them  was  ignorant  of  the 
fact  that  if  the  Commonwealth  established  new 
plants  and  served  the  people  at  cost,  that  their 
business  and  their  properties  would  be  worth- 
less." 

Here  Mr.  Batty  suggested  that  the  visitors 
might  be  interested  in  hearing  a  short  history 
of  the  work  of  the  Oil  Company  and  how  the 
people  dealt  with  that  gigantic  monopoly. 

"Well,"  responded  Ashton,  "it  was  discovered 
by  the  pioneer  builders  of  our  Collective  Com- 
monwealth that  a  very  wealthy  and  powerful  oil 
company  of  America,  had,  several  years  pre- 
viously, sent  their  agents  to  Zanland  and  acquired 
private  ownership  of  all  the  rich  oil  lands  of  the 
island.  After  getting  well  fortified  they  syste- 
matically destroyed  all  the  smaller  companies, 
then  they  advanced  the  price  of  refined  oils  to  20 
cents  per  gallon  while  it  cost  them  but  about 
two  cents  per  gallon  to  produce  it.  Not  confin- 
ing themselves  to  monopolizing  oil  alone,  they 
bought  up  the  coal  mines,  the  copper  and  iron 
mines,  and  secured  a  controlling  interest  in  the 
island  railroad  lines.  They  employed  shrewd 
men  to  manipulate  political  parties,  attend  cau- 
cuses, secure  the  election  of  judges,  legislators, 
and  others  to  official  positions  who  would  do  their 
bidding,   and   through    their   great    newspapers 


198  HENRY   ASHTON 

which  they  had  established  at  Centralia  and  in 
the  larger  towns,  they  adroitly  fostered  the  idea 
that  the  island  should  maintain  a  standing  army. 
This  they  did  that  their  employes  to  whom  they 
paid  but  from  75  cents  to  $1.50  per  day  for 
their  labor  might  be  shot  into  submission  if  they 
became  discontented  with  their  lot  and  attempted 
to  better  their  condition  by  striking  for  increased 
wages  and  shorter  day's  service.  The  working 
men  formed  Labor  Unions,  and  for  a  time  held 
up  the  wages,  but  the  capitalists  managed  to  keep 
them  from  uniting  at  the  ballot  box,  and  so  all 
the  laws  desired  by  the  monopolists  were  enacted, 
and  the  courts  and  army  were  under  their  con- 
trol. By  court  injunctions,  policemen's  clubs  and 
the  rifle  and  bayonets  of  the  soldiers,  the  work- 
ers were  kept  in  subjection.  Conditions  for  the 
working  people  became  so  bad  that  parents  were 
compelled  to  put  their  tender  children  into  the 
mines  and  the  workshops  and  factories,  and  the 
combined  wages  of  the  entire  family  were  barely 
sufficient  to  procure  the  commonest  necessities 
of  life.  Ignorance,  intoxication,  insanity,  and 
crime  grew  out  of  such  enforced  condition  of 
the  workers.  The  profits  of  this  great  oil  com- 
pany which  had  spread  itself  to  all  parts  of  the 
island,  were  more  than  sixty  millions  of  dollars 
per  year.  The  stockholders  toiled  not ;  they  ren- 
dered no  services  to  the  public  yet  they  became 
possessed  of  inconceivable  wealth,  not  one  dollar 
of  which  they  honestly  earned ;  they  lived  in  pal- 
aces ;  they  owned  yachts ;  they  blazed  with  dia- 
monds and  gorgeous  apparel ;  they  reveled  in 
such  luxury  as  would  eclipse  the  extravagance  of 
the  ancient  kings  of  Babylon.     All  about  them 


HENRY    ASHTON  199 

they  saw,  unmoved  by  pity,  tender  children  forced 
to  work  like  slaves,  and  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren compelled  to  live  in  poverty,  squalor  and 
wretchedness  because  of  insufficient  compensa- 
tion allowed  them  for  their  labor,  and  yet  in  their 
stately  mansions  and  in  their  private  palace  cars 
they  had  gorgeous  apartments  for  cats  and 
dogs.  They  spurned  with  contempt  and  with 
cruel  scorn  the  hungry,  homeless  and  sick  tramp 
from  their  back  door,  while  they  contributed 
largely  to  the  missionary  fund  of  their  church 
and  they  shed  tears  at  the  thought  that  the 
heathen  of  foreign  lands  would  be  eternally 
damned  unless  the  gospel  was  sent  to  them. 
They  hated  the  Labor  Unions  and  the  Socialists 
with  an  intensity  that  cannot  be  expressed  in 
words,  who  they  said,  were  disturbing  the  exist- 
ing admirable  order  of  things.  They  invoked  the 
courts  for  injunctions  and  called  on  the  authori- 
ties for  bayonets  and  bullets  to  protect  their  prop- 
erty. The  life  and  liberty  of  the  toilers,  and  the 
slavery  of  the  children  of  the  poor  in  mines  and 
factories,  were  matters  of  insignificance  to  them, 
but  the  sacredness  of  their  property,  acquired  by 
watered  stocks  and  by  exploiting  other  people, 
was  a  consideration  of  supreme  importance. 

"The  people  of  Zanland  saw  all  this  and  they 
said : 

"  'This  is  not  right.  Infinite  wisdom  placed 
the  oil  and  the  coal  and  the  minerals  in  the  earth 
for  the  benefit  of  all  the  people,  and  not  to  be 
owned  by  a  few.  We  will  do  these  crafty  exploit- 
ers no  harm.  They  are  the  victims  of  an  old  but 
a  false — a  pernicious — system  of  economics — a 
system  that  has  its  roots  in    greed,    that    came 


200  HENRY   ASHTON 

down  to  us  from  a  cruel  tryrannical  age,  when 
slavery  was  thought  to  be  a  divine  institution. 
Once  all  prisoners  taken  in  war,  if  not  mur- 
dered, were  made  the  slaves  of  their  captors. 
Once  it  was  thought  right  for  a  few  to  own  and 
to  buy  and  sell  their  fellowmen.  But  evolution 
has  been  at  work  and  now  those  practices  are 
condemned.  But  even  yet  the  belief  is  quite 
prevalent  that  a  few  shrewd  millionaires  may  own 
the  labor  of  their  fellowmen  and  the  land,  the 
coal,  the  oil,  the  metals,  the  electricity,  the  ma- 
chines— in  short  all  of  Nature's  forces  which 
properly  and  by  natural  right  belong  to  all  the 
people  collectively — that  are  in  fact  essential  to 
their  well-being  to  own ;  but  happily  that  belief 
is  rapidly  giving  away  also.'  The  people  of  Zan- 
land  said : 

"  'These  millionaire  monopolists  are  not  per- 
sonally bad  men.  Many  of  them  are  kind  men 
and  so  were  the  slave  owners  in  America  who 
bought  and  sold  men,  women  and  children.  They 
are,  however,  greedy  men  and  their  minds  have 
not  yet  been  illuminated  by  the  light  which  the 
law  of  evolution  is  bringing  to  the  world.  They 
still  think  they  should  individually  own  nature's 
resources  and  the  labor  of  others,  and  compel  the 
workers  to  support  them  in  luxury  as  the  king 
once  required  his  slaves  to  do,  but  we  will  teach 
them  a  better  way.  To  utterly  repudiate  their 
claim  to  the  ownership  of  public  utilities  and  to  the 
labor  of  their  fellowmen  would  be  morally  right, 
but  we  will  be  generous.  We  will  pay  them  a 
reasonable  price,  sufficient  to  cover  the  cost  of 
development  of  the  mines  exclusive  of  the  value 
of  the  undisturbed  ore,  or  coal,  or  oil  in  them, 


HENRY   ASHTON  201 

and  take  over  to  the  Commonwealth  all  these 
things  and  operate  them  in  the  interest  of  all  the 
people.'  They  did  so,  and  the  people  soon  saved 
enough  by  reason  of  the  change  to  pay  the  full 
amount  they  cost,  and  even  the  monopolists 
finally  admitted  that  the  change  was  a  good  one." 

"I  think  perhaps,"  continued  Ashton,  "that  the 
greatest  glory  of  Zanland  is  our  school  system. 
As  Mrs.  Ashton  was  largely  instrumental  in 
formulating  the  system,  and  is  entitled  to  much 
credit  for  so  presenting  it  to  the  public  through 
our  publications,  that  they  readily  adopted  it,  I 
will  ask  her  to  present  to  you  the  chief  features 
of  our  educational  system." 

"I  deserve  no  more  credit  than  yourself,  or  Mr. 
Batty,  for  what  has  been  accomplished,"  respond- 
ed Mrs.  Ashton,  "but  I  have  no  objection  to  speak- 
ing to  our  friends  regarding  the  schools,  for  that 
is  a  subject  I  am  deeply  interested  in.  My 
thought  was  that  the  proper  education  of  the 
children  is  the  most  important  work  I  or  any  one 
else  can  engage  in.  After  the  employment  of 
children  in  factories,  and  mines,  and  workshops 
was  forbidden,  and  the  compulsory  educational 
law  was  enacted,  the  next  thing  to  be  done  was 
to  build  the  proper  number  of  school  houses  and 
colleges  in  every  part  of  the  island.  Every  child 
between  the  ages  of  six  and  twenty-one  is  re- 
quired to  attend  school.  In  these  schools  and  col- 
leges is  taught  all  that  the  students  are  instructed 
in  in  the  schools  of  Europe  or  America,  and  much 
more.  Polytechnic  departments,  in  which  a 
knowledge  of  cooking,  garment  making,  carpen- 
tering, and  in  fact  every  industry  carried  on  in  the 
island  is  taught,  were  incorporated  in  the  schools. 


202  HENRY   ASHTON 

There  are  also  musical,  art,  and  physical  culture 
departments.  Every  student  is  not  only  given  a 
theoretical  but  a  practical  education.  He  has 
special  training  in  that  line  of  work  to  which  he 
seems  best  adapted.  Not  only  does  the  state 
provide  the  instruction  but  also  the  books,  and 
when  necessary  the  student's  clothing,  board  and 
lodging.  It  affords  me  great  pleasure,  gentle- 
men, to  say  that  our  school  system  is  a  decided 
success.  You  should  visit  our  schools  and  see  for 
yourselves  the  grand  work  that  is  being  done  by 
them.  And  now  I  will  ask  you  to  excuse  my 
absence  during  the  remainder  of  the  day  as  I 
wish  to  attend  a  woman's  meeting  at  one  of  our 
public  halls  where  social  and  industrial  questions 
are  to  be  discussed.  It  might  interest  you  to 
know  that  since  equal  suffrage  and  the  Collective 
Commonwealth  was  established  here,  that  the 
women  have  become,  as  a  class,  much  more  intel- 
ligent, healthy  and  happy.  Before  Socialism  was 
established  here  when  women  were  deprived  of 
their  right  to  vote  and  matrimony  was  the 
supreme  object  of  every  girl,  a  majority  of 
them  made  it  their  chief  study  to  try  to  look 
handsome.  With  an  erroneous  idea  of  what  a 
sensible  man  admires,  they  attempted  to  make 
themselves  resemble  the  pictures  of  the  fashion- 
able women  of  the  popular  magazines.  They 
pinched  up  their  feet  in  shoes  much  too  small 
and  made  with  ridiculously  high  and  slender 
heels ;  they  wore  hats  of  indescribable  shapes  and 
enormous  size ;  their  dresses  were  so  long  that 
they  either  dragged  on  the  ground  or  had  to  be 
held  up  in  a  hideous  fashion  when  they  walked, 
but  infinitely  worse  than  all  was  the  death-pro- 


HENRY   ASHTON  203 

during  corset  with  which  they  made  themselves 
take  on  the  shape  of  the  wasp.  It  required  some 
time  in  which  to  convince  them  of  the  highly  in- 
jurious effects  of  compressing  their  waists  which 
results  in  the  displacing  of  internal  organs  and 
the  consequent  sowing  of  seeds  of  physical  dis- 
ease and  death,  and  unfitting  themselves  to  be- 
come happy  wives  and  mothers.  But  after  per- 
sistent effort  they  were  induced  to  abandon 
the  murderous  and  silly  practice  of  tight  lacing. 
Already  a  great  improvement  is  observed  in  their 
health.  The  girl  with  a  lovely  shape  as  nature 
intended,  is  not  only  healthier  and  happier,  but 
much  prettier  than  the  wasp-waisted  variety. 
When  our  young  ladies  came  to  understand  also 
that  the  fashion  plates  do  not  correctly  represent 
men's  idea  of  beauty — that  in  fact  no  sensible 
man  admires  a  too  slender  female  waist,  then  it 
was  not  difficult  to  induce  them  to  let  out  the 
corset  laces.  The  publication  of  fashion  maga- 
zines such  as  abound  in  Europe  and  America, 
which  have  cursed  womankind  and  mankind  also 
beyond  all  estimate,  is  not  encouraged  in  Zanland. 
We  believe  in  beauty,  and  in  artistic  dressing, 
but  we  insist  that  the  dress  shall  not  crucify  the 
wearer  and  unfit  her  to  become  a  healthy,  happy 
wife  and  mother.  Our  girls  who  marry  become 
healthy,  cheerful  wives,  and  their  children  are 
well  born  and  divorces  are  very  rare.  Under  the 
old  system,  the  young  man  who  married  the 
fashionable  girl  usually  had  also  to  provide  his 
wife,  from  the  first,  with  a  servant,  for  the  phys- 
ical constitution  of  the  young  wife  had  been  hope- 
lessly wrecked.  Weak,  peevish,  internal  organs 
displaced — a  nervous  wreck — made  anything  but 


204  HENRY    ASHTON 

a  happy  home.  Children,  if  born  at  all,  died 
young,  or  grew  up  with  delicate  constitutions  ;  the 
wife  faded  early ;  disappointment  and  unhappi- 
ness  crept  into  the  home,  and  neglect,  unfaithful- 
ness and  divorce  followed.  One  of  the  best  re- 
sults of  the  establishment  of  the  Collective  Com- 
monwealth and  of  equal  suffrage  is  the  effect 
upon  women.  Their  sphere  was  enlarged  and 
they  have  proven  themselves  worthy  to  be  en- 
trusted with  their  new  powers  and  wider  oppor- 
tunities." 

Mrs.  Ashton  was  about  to  bow  herself  out 
when  Mr.  Batty  said : 

"I  wish  to  add  my  testimony  in  corroboration 
of  what  Mrs.  Ashton  has  said,  relative  to  the  im- 
provement in  womankind,  since  the  Collective 
Commonwealth  was  established.  I  have  been  a 
bachelor  many  years  and  would  have  remained 
a  bachelor  for  life  if  our  girls  had  continued 
on  in  their  old  ways,  but  now,  since  they  have 
turned  over  a  new  leaf  and  are  storing  their  minds 
with  useful  knowledge,  and  are  exhibiting  their 
good  sense  in  matters  of  dress,  and  are  growing 
healthy  and  more  beautiful  from  having  aban- 
doned the  cruel  and  murderous  corset-squeezing, 
I  am  half  inclined  to  withdraw  from  the  Bache- 
lor's Club,  and  seek  one  of  Zanland's  fair  daugh- 
ters and  ask  her  to  share  in  my  joys  and  sor- 
rows for  life.  But  now  I  interrupted  the  con- 
versation for  the  purpose  of  suggesting  to  Mrs. 
Ashton  before  she  leaves  us,  to  devote  a  few 
minutes  more  to  a  brief  description  of  our  mater- 
nity hospitals  which  are  largely  the  result  of  the 
efforts  of  the  ladies  of  Zanland." 

"Our  maternity  hospitals,"  said  Mrs.  Ashton, 


HENRY    ASHTON  205 

"are  temporary  homes  where  expectant  mothers 
may  go  and  remain  a  few  months.  Here  they  are 
relieved  from  all  care  and  anxiety.  They  have 
access  to  a  library  well  supplied  with  books,  mag- 
azines and  other  publications,  from  various  parts 
of  the  world.  Here  they  have  music  and  games, 
and  all  varieties  of  innocent  amusements.  Lec- 
tures are  delivered  twice  each  week  on  heredity, 
environments,  and  ante-natal  influences,  physical 
culture,  proper  diet,  right  thinking,  and  the  right 
of  children  to  be  well  born.  The  walls  of  these 
hospitals  are  adorned  by  fine  paintings ;  fountains 
play  in  the  lawns  and  gardens ;  birds  sing  in  the 
trees  in  the  near  by  parks,  and  happiness  and 
cheerfulness  pervade  the  place.  The  best  of  phy- 
sicians and  nurses  are  in  constant  attendance. 
No  woman  is  required  to  become  an  inmate  of 
the  maternity  hospitals  but  ninety  per  cent  of 
prospective  mothers  are  found  there.  Some  pre- 
fer to  remain  at  home  awaiting  the  supreme  event, 
and  those  who  do  so  are  given  an  extra  allow- 
ance and  skilled  nurses  are  provided  for  them. 
Nothing  perhaps  in  our  Commonwealth  is  more 
popular  nor  so  productive  of  good  as  these  hos- 
pitals. They  are  proving  to  the  world  that  all 
children  are  not  born  totally  depraved  as  was 
once  taught.  On  the  contrary  the  results  show 
that  if  the  expectant  mothers  are  surrounded  by 
proper  environments,  and  are  relieved  of  all  an- 
noyances and  fear  of  poverty,  and  are  exempted 
from  hard  toil,  and  are  placed  where  they  hear 
good  music,  can  read  good  books,  and  see  beauti- 
ful sights,  that  their  children  come  into  the  world 
endowed  with  robust  constitutions,  cheerful, 
happy  dispositions  and  bright  minds.     It  is  my 


206  HENRY   ASHTON 

solemn  conviction  that  the  old  countries  where 
the  masses  are  still  in  deep  poverty  and  the  ex- 
pectant mothers  are  often  treated  with  less  con- 
sideration than  is  given  the  female  animals,  will 
continue  to  be  cursed  by  illy  born  offspring,  and 
that  drunkenness,  licentiousness,  venality  and 
crime  will  go  on  undiminished.  I  hope,  gentle- 
men, that  when  you  return  to  America  that  you 
will  do  what  you  can  to  influence  your  people 
to  think  earnestly  on  this  subject.  If  your  coun- 
try should  adopt  but  a  single  feature  of  our  in- 
stitutions of  Zanland,  and  it  were  left  to  me  to 
designate  and  recommend  that  one,  I  would  say 
establish  and  maintain  at  public  expense,  mater- 
nity hospitals  in  every  county  in  America.  One 
of  your  distinguished  educators  and  thinkers  once 
said :  'The  time  to  begin  educating  children  is 
before  they  are  born.'  " 

So  saying  Mrs.  Ashton  bid  a  temporary  fare- 
well to  the  party  and  withdrew,  Mr.  Ashton  ac- 
companying her  to  the  automobile,  remarking  as 
he  did  so: 

"Gentlemen,  I  ask  you  to  excuse  me  also  for 
a  brief  period.  Mr.  Batty  will,  I  doubt  not,  take 
pleasure  in  responding  to  any  inquiry  you  may 
make  touching  our  affairs  in  Zanland." 

"With  the  greatest  of  pleasure,"  said  Mr.  Batty, 

"Well,  then,"  said  the  editor,  "will  you  kindly 
explain  to  us  your  custom  or  law  governing 
wages  or  the  compensation  to  the  individual  for 
services  rendered  to  the  state  ?" 

"All  business  of  a  public  nature,"  said  Batty, 
"is  conducted  by  the  administrative  power  of  the 
Commonwealth.  It  was  found  that  where  a  just 
system  of  production  and  distribution  is  main- 


HENRY   ASHTON  207 

tained,  under  which  every  one  who  renders  use- 
ful service  receives  the  full  benefit  of  his  labor 
(no  one  individual  making  a  profit  from  the 
labor  of  his  fellow),  that  every  thing  necessary 
for  the  comfort  of  every  member  of  the  Com- 
monwealth, could  be  produced  by  the  service  of 
able-bodied  adults  between  the  ages  of  twenty- 
one  and  fifty,  by  working  from  four  to  six  hours 
per  day.  A  law  was  therefore  enacted  exempting 
from  labor,  minors,  and  all  men  and  women  who 
had  attained  to  the  age  of  fifty  years.  All  in  ex- 
cess of  that  age  were  placed  on  the  retired  list 
and  provided  for.  The  sick,  and  those  physic- 
ally or  mentally  incapacitated,  were  taken  care 
of  in  the  homes  for  the  aged.  One  of  our  mot- 
toes is,  'One  for  all  and  all  for  one,'  hence  every 
able-bodied  adult  between  the  ages  named  ren- 
der service  to  the  state,  be  they  ministers,  phy- 
sicians, teachers,  artists,  musicians,  clerks,  book- 
keepers or  manual  laborers." 

At  this  point  Mr.  Fay  said  : 

"I  think  I  have  heard  that  you  do  not  use 
money  in  the  island.  If  that  is  correct  how  do 
yau  pay  the  wages  of  those  who  render  public 
services?" 

"We  do  not  use  metal  money  in  Zanland,"  re- 
plied Mr.  Batty.  "I  will  now  explain  that  im- 
portant part  of  our  system  and  I  ask  you  to  be 
patient  with  me  for  this  feature  of  our  govern- 
ment is  somewhat  complicated  and  ought  not 
to  be  too  briefly  stated. 

"First,  then,  the  island  is  divided  into  many 
departments  and  sub-departments,  the  size  vary- 
ing according  to  the  population.  Each  depart- 
ment has  one  common  store  house  or  depository 


208  HENRY   ASHTON 

located  at  a  point  most  convenient  and  accessible 
to  the  residents  of  such  department.  At  the  head 
of  these  departments  is  a  competent  superintend- 
ent with  a  proper  number  of  assistants.  The 
products  of  the  respective  departments  are  stored 
in  the  general  or  central  depositories,  or  in  the 
sub-depositories,  as  the  convenience  of  the  peo- 
ple indicates.  This  is  called  the  Produce  De- 
partment. 

''The  same  territory  also  constitutes  a  Service 
Department  which  is  presided  over  by  a  super- 
intendent who  is  assisted  by  foremen  of  all  the 
different  lines  of  industry.  At  the  end  of  each 
week  Certificates  of  Service  which  are  desig- 
nated 'Time  Checks,'  are  given  to  each  person 
rendering  service  in  the  district.  These  certifi- 
cates show  the  number  of  hours  the  holder  has 
served  the  Commonwealth  during  the  week. 
With  these  time  checks,  which  are  issued  in  de- 
nominations representing  full  days  or  fractions 
of  days  of  service,  the  holder  can  purchase  at 
the  department  store  any  article  that  his  neces- 
sities or  fancy  may  prompt  him  to  desire.  They 
can  also  be  applied  in  payment  of  transportation 
over  the  railway  or  steamship  lines.  As  the  de- 
partment stores,  or  depositories,  contain  an  assort- 
ment of  everything  that  industry  produces  all  the 
citizens'  wants  may  thus  be  easily  supplied." 

"But,"  said  Mr.  Fay,  "what  will  prevent  a 
John  D.  Morgan  or  a  Pierpont  Rockefeller  from 
exploiting  the  industrious  citizen  by  buying  up 
all  or  a  large  part  of  the  outstanding  time 
checks  ?" 

"Nothing  could  be  gained  by  such  an  exploit," 
said  Mr.  Batty,  "even  if  it  were  possible  to  do 


HENRY   ASHTON  200 

55.  First,  because  money  as  used  in  Europe  and 
America  is  not  employed  here  in  any  business 
transaction.  Second,  the  checks  are  redeemable 
in  nothing  but  goods,  and  an  excess  of  certificates 
above  what  the  monopolist  could  exchange  for 
something  he  could  eat,  wear  or  use,  would  be  of 
no  value  to  him  whatever.  Moreover,  the  orig- 
inal certificate  holder  would  not  care  to  exchange 
his  certificate  for  foreign  money  because  it  would 
be  of  slight  value  to  him  unless  he  wished  to 
travel  abroad.  As  interest,  rent  and  profit,  are 
eliminated  from  our  system,  the  schemer  would 
gain  nothing  by  cornering  our  medium  of  ex- 
change. Being  paper  our  money  is  devoid  of  in- 
trinsic value." 

"In  the  event,"  said  the  editor,  "there  are  able- 
bodied  men  between  the  ages  of  twenty-one  and 
fifty,  who  refuse  to  render  any  service  to  the 
Collective  Commonwealth,  and  become  mendi- 
cants or  tramps  from  choice,  how  do  you  deal 
with  them  ?" 

"It  is  a  lav/  of  the  island,"  replied  Batty,  "that 
he  who  will  not  work  shall  not  eat.  'Every  one 
according  to  his  deeds,'  is  our  motto.  The  busi- 
ness of  the  country  as  has  already  been  stated,  is 
transacted  on  the  Socialist  plan.  All  the  things 
produced  and  used  can  be  procured  only  from  the 
department  stores.  Nothing  is  sold  for  money. 
Everything  that  goes  from  the  store,  goes  out 
because  a  service  certificate  comes  in.  He  who 
does  no  service  gets  no  certificate,  and  he  who 
has  no  certificate  can  get  no  goods.  Under  an 
industrial  system,  like  ours,  where  from  four  to 
six  hours'  service  per  day  will  secure  all  the  com- 
forts and  luxuries  of  life,  but  few  will  be  found 


210  HENRY   ASHTON 

who  will  refuse  to  cheerfully  perform  their  share 
of  service ;  but  we  have  a  remedy  for  mendicants 
and  vagrants  who  are  such  from  choice.  Every 
citizen  of  the  Commonwealth  knows  that  there 
is  not  the  shadow  of  an  excuse  for  begging,  be- 
cause the  opportunity  to  work  is  open  to  all, 
hence  no  one  gives  to  the  mendicant.  They  well 
know  as  he  knows,  that  if  he  is  able-bodied,  the 
state  offers  him  employment  on  the  same  terms 
it  gives  employment  to  every  other  citizen,  and 
if  he  is  physically  or  mentally  incapacitated,  the 
hospital  doors  stand  open  for  him.  We  have 
jails  and  confinement  for  the  incorrigible  mendi- 
cant, as  well  as  prisons  and  punishment  for  all 
others  who  violate  our  laws,  but  our  jails  in  Zan- 
land  are  nearly  empty  and  our  criminals  are  so 
rare  that  they  are  a  curiosity." 

"I  would  like  to  enquire,"  said  the  editor, 
"how  your  labor  is  carried  on ;  that  is,  do  work- 
ers in  the  fields,  or  mines,  or  sewers,  work  the 
same  number  of  hours  and  receive  the  same  com- 
pensation as  the  teachers,  or  doctors,  or  others 
engaged  in  indoor  work?" 

"The  labor  of  the  Commonwealth,"  said  Batty, 
"is  divided  into  three  departments  or  classes,  to- 
wit,  A.,  B.  and  C. 

"A  day's  service  in  the  'A'  department,  is 
four  hours,  and  is  of  that  class  which  is  very 
arduous,  involving  extra  hazard  to  life  and  limb, 
or  health.  In  this  class  are  the  laborers  in  coal 
and  metal  mines,  firemen  and  engineers,  brake- 
men,  switchmen,  toilers  in  steel  works,  in  t.ewers 
and  other  places  where  there  is  imminent  danger 
from  accidents,  poisonous  gases  and  explosives. 

"In  the  'B'  department,  artists,  skilled  median- 


HENRY   ASHTON  211 

ics,  officers,  musicians,  teachers,  ministers,  phy- 
sicians, foremen,  clerks,  bookkeepers,  and  oth- 
ers who  fill  places  of  responsibility  requiring 
technical  skill,  executive  ability,  etc.,  five  hours 
constitute  a  day's  service. 

"All  others  not  classified  in  'A'  or  'B'  are  con- 
sidered to  be  in  class  'C,'  and  their  service  is  six 
hours  per  day. 

"The  wage  or  compensation  of  each  worker, 
in  the  three  classes,  for  a  day's  service  is  the 
same ;  that  is,  a  worker  in  class  'A'  who  labors 
four  hours  receives  a  certificate  of  equal  pur- 
chasing power  as  the  worker  receives  in  class 
'B'  who  labors  five  hours,  while  those  in  class 
'C  receive  for  their  day's  service  of  six  hours, 
a  check  of  equal  purchasing  power  as  those  in 
either  of  the  other  classes. 

"No  worker  is  compelled  to  cease  labor  in  any 
class  after  he  has  performed  his  day's  service, 
but  he  has  the  right  to  work  longer  than  the  four, 
five,  or  six  hours  per  day,  if  he  so  desires,  re- 
ceiving for  such  excess  over  a  standard  day's 
service,  time  checks  at  the  same  ratio  of  com- 
pensation as  may  be  paid  in  his  class.  Thus  the 
very  industrious,  faithful  man,  may  earn  more 
than  the  slothful,  and  with  his  larger  earnings  can 
purchase  more  of  those  things  he  may  desire  for 
private  use,  or  travel  more  on  the  public  railways 
or  steamboat  lines.  Even  under  Socialism,  the 
industrious  worker  will  have  a  finer  home,  more 
musical  instruments,  a  greater  library,  a  better 
automobile,  a  more  spirited  team  of  horses,  more 
elegant  clothing — in  short  more  non-productive 
property  of  every  kind  than  the  improvident  and 
lazv  man." 


212  HENRY   ASHTON 

"May  I  enquire,''  asked  the  editor,  "by  what 
method  you  classify  the  people  in  these  three 
classes  ?" 

"Certainly,"  replied  Mr.  Batty.  "Registration 
books  are  opened  in  each  service  department  on 
the  first  day  of  December  of  each  year,  and  re- 
main open  one  month.  All  adult  citizens  are 
called  upon  to  appear  personally  and  register  his 
or  her  name  in  such  books,  stating  their  name, 
age,  sex,  and  place  of  residence,  and  indicating 
the  class  in  which  they  desire  to  work  during  the 
ensuing  year.  They  thus  classify  themselves,  but 
for  good  cause  shown,  the  classification  may  be 
altered  or  modified  by  the  Boards  of  Classifica- 
tion. These  boards,  consisting  of  five  citizens  of 
the  respective  departments,  are  chosen  by  the 
people  of  the  district  at  a  general  election  and 
they  have  the  power  to  modify  or  correct  such 
classification  when  necessary.  Any  citizen  has 
the  right  to  appeal  from  their  decision  to  a  central 
and  higher  Board  of  Classification. 

"In  addition  to  the  three  classes  named,  we 
have  a  special  or  honorary  class.  None  are  as- 
signed to  this  class  nor  can  they  register  them- 
selves as  belonging  to  it.  Entrance  to  the  hon- 
orary class  can  be  gained  in  but  one  way.  If 
a  citizen  has  distinguished  himself  by  great  and 
exceptional  proficiency  as  a  surgeon,  or  artist,  or 
teacher,  or  musician,  or  inventor,  or  scholar,  or 
public  benefactor,  or  in  any  calling,  he  may  be 
promoted  out  of  the  other  classes  by  a  majority 
vote  of  the  people  at  a  special  election  called  for 
that  purpose.  His  name  must  first  be  proposed 
for  such  distinction  by  the  General  Assembly. 
Members  of  the  honorary  class  receive  no  extra 


HENRY    ASHTON  213 

compensation,  but  shall  be  compensated  for  their 
services  of  whatever  kind,  by  time  checks  at  a 
like  rate  as  are  those  of  class  A." 

"Is  not  your  system  somewhat  arbitrary,"  ask- 
ed Mr.  Fay. 

"No,"  replied  Mr.  Batty,  "not  at  all.  You  are 
aware  that  no  government  nor  large  enterprise 
of  any  kind  can  be  carried  on  without  some  or- 
derly, well  defined  system  of  procedure.  In  the 
United  States,  and  in  the  European  States,  the 
law  requires  persons  to  submit  to  rigid  examina- 
tions before  they  are  employed  as  teachers  in  the 
schools,  or  in  the  postal  or  any  other  department 
of  the  government.  If  this  were  not  so  no  gov- 
ernment nor  large  enterprise  of  any  sort  could 
succeed.  As  to  the  classification  of  workers,  that 
is  easily  accomplished  and  has  proven  very  satis- 
factory in  the  island.  The  great  masses  of  our 
people  are  registered  in  class  'C  There  are  two 
good  reasons  for  that :  The  first  is  that  most  men 
would  prefer  to  work  six  hours  per  day  where 
the  labor  is  not  hard  and  there  is  little  or  no 
risk  to  health,  or  life,  or  limb,  than  to  go  into 
class  'A'  and  labor  four  hours  underground  or 
where  the  work  is  harder,  and  yet  there  are  suffi- 
cient numbers  in  class  'A'  to  carry  on  all  the  la- 
bor necessary  to  be  done  in  that  class.  The  sec- 
ond reason  why  the  greater  number  of  our  peo- 
ple are  in  class  'C  is,  that  not  being  skilled  me- 
chanics, nor  possessing  the  necessary  education 
and  qualification  to  become  physicians,  teachers, 
inventors,  artists,  or  managers,  they  prefer  to 
labor  in  class  'C  Probably  the  greater  number 
will  be  found  in  class  'C  for  generations  of  time. 
If  any  citizen,  after  the  work  of  registration  has 


214  HENRY   ASHTON 

been  completed,  desires  to  change  to  another  class, 
he  may  apply  to  the  Board  of  Examiners  which 
holds  a  meeting  to  investigate  such  matters  on 
the  first  Monday  of  each  month,  and  if  he  can 
show  cause  for  such  change,  it  will  be  so  ordered 
by  the  board.  If  a  worker's  services  at  any  time 
prove  unsatisfactory  in  the  class  in  which  he  is 
employed  he  may,  by  the  superintendent  of  that 
class,  be  changed  to  another  class,  and  if  such 
action  is  unsatisfactory  to  the  worker,  he  can 
appeal  his  case  to  the  Board  of  Examiners,  and 
if  he  is  not  satisfied  with  their  decision,  he  has 
the  right  to  carry  his  appeal  up  to  the  Assembly, 
and  if  that  body  decides  contrary  to  what  he  may 
desire,  he  can  avail  himself  of  the  right  of  the 
Referendum  and  take  his  case  before  the  people 
at  the  polls.  This  is  his  court  of  last  resort.  It 
must  be  remembered  that  our  government  is  a 
pure  democracy ;  the  people  are  supreme  in  all 
matters  pertaining  to  the  affairs  of  the  Common- 
wealth. Our  present  system  was  not  established 
without  many  experiments  in  many  things.  I 
would  not  contend  that  it  is  perfect  yet.  When 
the  people  perceive  wherein  an  improvement  can 
be  made  they  make  it." 

At  this  moment  Mr.  Ashton  again  joined  the 
company  when  Mr.  Batty  asked  to  be  excused 
for  the  remainder  of  the  day,  as  he  wished  to 
attend  a  lecture  to  be  delivered  at  one  of  the 
public  halls,  by  Prof.  Holmes  of  the  State  Uni- 
versity.    As  he  arose  to  depart  he  said : 

"Gentlemen,  I  again  turn  you  over  to  Mr. 
Ashton,  who,  I  know,  will  take  great  delight 
in  further  enlightening  you  as  to  the  practical 
workings  of  our  Co-Operative  Commonwealth. 


HENRY   ASHTON  215 

No  man  is  better  qualified  to  impart  that  informa- 
tion than  Mr.  Ashton,  to  whom  more  than  any 
other,  is  due  the  credit  of  formulating  our  ad- 
mirable system  of  economics  and  putting  it  into 
successful  operation." 

"You  do  me  too  much  honor,"  modestly  an- 
swered Ashton.  "You  forget,  Mr.  Batty,  the  in- 
estimable advantage  your  counsel,  and  that  of 
Mrs.  Ashton,  has  been  to  all  concerned  in  the 
work  to  which  you  allude.  However,  gentlemen, 
I  am  again  at  your  service." 

"It  has  occurred  to  me,"  said  Mr.  Fay,  "that 
perhaps  your  system  may  be  somewhat  compli- 
cated and  difficult  in  application.  Have  you 
found  it  so?" 

"No;  quite  the  contrary,"  replied  Mr.  Ashton. 
"We  have  a  National  president  and  various  ad- 
ministrative departments  with  a  cabinet  officer  at 
the  head  of  each,  who,  with  his  corps  of  assist- 
ants, conduct  the  business  of  the  respective  de- 
partments in  an  orderly,  methodical  manner.  In 
the  United  States  you  have  a  Secretary  of  State, 
Secretary  of  War,  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Secre- 
tary of  the  Interior,  a  Postmaster  General,  and 
other  cabinet  officers.  They  have  scores  of  thou- 
sands of  assistants,  and  the  business  of  eighty 
millions  of  people  is  thus  managed  with  little 
confusion.  In  Zanland  we  have  also  cabinet 
officers  corresponding  to  nearly  all  you  have  in 
America,  but  we  have  some  additional  ones,  such 
as  Secretary  of  Production,  Secretary  of  Distri- 
bution and  Secretary  of  Transportation.  These 
three  latter  are  our  most  important  cabinet  offi- 
cers, and  the  business  of  each  is  conducted  in 
a  highly  satisfactory  manner.    All  public  servants 


216  HENRY   ASHTON 

holding  important  positions  of  trust  and  respon- 
sibility, you  will  remember,  are  elected  by  the 
people,  but  can  be  recalled  at  any  time  as  here- 
tofore explained,  if  they  prove  incompetent  or 
untrustworthy." 

Here  the  editor  interposed  to  ask : 
"I  understand  that  in  your  Commonwealth  all 
productive  property  is  owned  collectively,  and 
non-productive  property  may  be  owned  privately. 
Now,  I  wish  to  ask  if  any  class  of  property  can 
be  transmitted  to  heirs  by  will  or  inheritance  ?" 

"No  property,"  said  Ashton,  "can  be  trans- 
mitted by  will  or  the  laws  of  inheritance,  ex- 
cept that  which  is  of  a  purely  private  and  of  a  non- 
productive nature,  such  as  paintings,  musical  in- 
struments, books,  yachts,  automobiles,  house  fur- 
nishings, wearing  apparel  and  such  other  prop- 
erty that  cannot  be  put  to  public  uses,  and  made 
to  produce  other  property.  I  will  venture  to  re- 
peat what  I  think  I  have  stated  before,  that  only 
that  class  of  property  which  shows  by  its  nature 
that  it  is  of  a  productive  sort,  and  can  be  used  col- 
lectively, is  so  owned,  while  that  which,  from  its 
nature,  shows  it  is  adapted  to  private  uses  only, 
and  cannot  be  put  to  general  public  use,  is  owned 
privately.  And  here  let  me  say,  gentlemen,  that 
we  have  found  that  the  more  we  extend  the  pub- 
lic use  of  things,  the  wealthier  do  the  individ- 
uals and  families  become  in  the  possession  of 
private  property.  Under  the  competitive  system, 
the  few  became  enormously  wealthy  while  the 
many  had  but  little.  Our  system  levels  down  the 
millionaire  and  levels  up  the  masses.  As  the 
workers  get  the  full  benefit  of  their  labor,  the 
more  private  property  and  luxuries  can  they  have 


HENRY    ASHTON  217 

in  their  homes.  Under  our  system  the  workers 
have  better  houses,  more  and  better  clothing, 
more  books,  finer  musical  instruments  and  pic- 
tures ;  they  have  automobiles  and  private  yachts, 
and  carriages,  and  spirited  horses,  and  have  more 
leisure  and  can  travel  more.  I  think  you  will 
admit,  gentlemen,  that  the  desire  or  ambition  of 
an  abject  slave  for  property  and  the  things  se- 
cured by  property,  is  crushed  out,  and  in  time  he 
is  forced  into  degradation  and  ignorance  and  that 
a  contentment  with  his  condition  follows.  With 
the  accumulation  of  property,  comes  hope  and 
education,  and  intelligence,  and  aspiration.  So- 
cialism levels  up  the  masses.  It  gives  to  them 
vastly  more  personal  property  than  they  can  pos- 
sibly acquire  under  the  old  system,  or  rather  they 
possess  the  things  they  have  worked  for,  instead 
of  those  things  being  possessed  by  the  crafty  few 
who  have  really  earned  little." 

"In  Europe  and  America,"  said  Mr.  Fay,  the 
saloon  is  a  curse.  How  do  you  manage  the 
liquor  business  here?" 

"Quite  easily  and  satisfactorily,"  answered  Mr. 
Ashton.  "In  the  old  countries  where  the  com- 
petitive system  of  business  is  still  adhered  to, 
and  there  is  such  an  insane  struggle  to  get  money, 
saloons  spring  up  like  mushrooms.  There  are 
large  profits  in  the  business  and  the  inducement 
is  very  strong  for  men  to  engage  in  that  occupa- 
tion, for  every  man  knows  that  in  those  coun- 
tries, a  man  without  money  might  nearly  as  well 
be  in  prison  or  the  grave;  they  know  money  is 
hard  to  get  by  day's  labor,  while  the  trusts  have 
made  it  a  herculean  task  for  the  business  man,  of 
small  capital,  to  succeed :  hence  thousands  of  men 


218  HENRY   ASHTON 

engage  in  the  saloon  business  who  would  prefer 
some  other  if  it  insured  a  livelihood.  Now  in 
Zanland,  there  is  no  excuse  for  engaging  in  that 
calling;  indeed  there  is  no  inducement  whatever 
to  open  a  saloon.  We  do  not  restrict  the  citi- 
zen's liberty  to  eat  or  drink  what  he  wants,  but  all 
profit  is  eliminated  from  the  traffic  and  the  temp- 
tation to  drink  offered  by  saloons  is  removed. 
Alcoholic  liquors  can  be  procured  only  at  the 
department  stores.  There  is  no  bar  there,  no 
lounging  place,  nothing  in  the  way  of  surround- 
ings that  would  in  any  way  tempt  one  to  drink. 
No  drinking  of  liquors  is  allowed  in  the  depart- 
ment stores  nor  on  the  premises.  As  libraries  and 
reading  rooms  and  pleasure  resorts  abound  in  all 
parts  of  the  island,  and  as  no  alcoholic  liquors 
are  sold  or  used  at  such  places,  drunkenness  has 
almost  entirely  disappeared.  But  few  saloon- 
keepers follow  the  calling  from  choice  in  any 
country.  Give  them  more  desirable  employ- 
ment, and  a  very  large  proportion  of  them  would 
go  out  of  the  liquor  selling  and  distilling  business. 
Liquors  are  manufactured  by  the  Commonwealth 
for  medicinal  and  mechanical  purposes  in  mod- 
erate quantities  and  are  not  adulterated.  They 
are  thus  much  less  harmful  than  those  made  for 
profit  in  other  countries." 

"During  this  interview,"  said  the  editor,  "you 
spoke  of  prisons  and  asylums.  May  I  enquire 
how  you  manage  those  institutions  ?" 

"Since  we  abandoned  the  competitive  system 
of  business,"  replied  Ashton,  "crime  of  all  kinds 
has  greatly  diminished.  I  suppose  you  are  aware 
that  in  your  country  the  great  majority  of  inmates 
of    your     penitentiaries     are    there    because    of 


HENRY    ASHTON  219 

offenses  committed  against  the  property  rights 
of  your  people — such  offenses  as  defalcations, 
swindling,  forgery,  burglary,  perjury,  theft,  rob- 
bery, etc.  A  very  large  number  convicted  of  the 
graver  crimes,  such  as  assaults,  and  murder,  per- 
petrated those  offenses  from  an  impulse  to  ob- 
tain property  or  money.  Now,  our  Socialist 
Commonwealth  has  removed  all  temptation  to 
commit  such  crimes,  hence  we  have  very  few 
criminals.  Our  treatment  of  convicts  is  kind 
and  of  a  reformatory  nature.  A  strict  discipline 
is  enforced  in  our  prisons,  but  the  criminal  is 
encouraged  to  reform.  At  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  confinement  he  is  furnished  employment 
in  one  of  the  three  classes  named,  on  an  equal- 
ity with  all  other  citizens.  It  may  therefore  be 
easily  perceived  why  we  have  very  few  criminals. 
We  are  careful  always  to  keep  the  younger  and 
less  hardened  convicts  from  associating  with 
those  of  a  more  pronounced  and  depraved  type. 
Of  course  we  have  reform  schools  for  youthful 
offenders.  As  to  our  insane :  They  too  are  rap- 
idly diminishing.  In  the  United  States  a  large 
proportion  of  those  whose  minds  became  unbal- 
anced were  made  insane  by  the  fierce  and  cruel 
competition  you  have  there.  Loss  of  property, 
failure  in  business,  and  almost  constant  high  ner- 
vous strain  to  make  money,  bank  suspensions, 
despondency  on  the  part  of  parents  to  supply  the 
necessities  of  life  for  their  children,  hard,  exhaus- 
tive labor,  insufficient  food,  unusual  exposure  in 
the  awful  struggle  to  secure  property,  and  the 
mothers  giving  birth  to  children  badly  balanced 
mentally  because  of  poverty  and  consequent  de- 
spondency— all  these  contribute  very  largely  to 


220  HENRY   ASHTON 

the  crowding  of  your  asylums  for  the  insane. 
We  have  a  few  such  unfortunates,  but  their  num- 
ber grows  less  every  year.  I  have  no  doubt  that 
our  economic  system  of  co-operation  and  our  ma- 
ternity hospitals  will  in  one  or  two  generations 
almost  entirely  prevent  all  insanity  among  our 
people.  We  inaugurated  a  new  departure  from 
your  method  of  treating  the  insane  in  the  United 
States.  We  do  not  huddle  them  together  in 
large  numbers,  for  to  do  so  creates  conditions  un- 
der which  it  is  difficult  to  restore  them  to  their 
right  mind.  Some  of  our  scientists  and  psychol- 
ogists maintain  that  insanity  is  contagious.  In- 
stances are  cited  in  which  sane  attendants  from 
long  association  with  the  insane  have  themselves 
lost  their  mental  balance,  while  other  instances 
are  given  in  which  insane  persons  were  soon  re- 
stored to  their  normal  condition  by  being  sepa- 
rated from  other  insane  persons.  We  therefore 
segregate  our  insane  into  small  groups,  and  by 
music,  pleasant  surroundings,  frequent  change 
of  environments,  and  hypnotic  treatment  in  con- 
nection with  proper  diet,  and  the  most  advanced 
medical  treatment,  we  have  been  very  successful 
in  restoring  them  to  their  right  mind." 

"Do  you  have  banks  in  Zanland?"  asked  Mr. 
Fay. 

"No,"  said  Ashton,  "we  have  no  use  for  banks. 
Money  loaning,  mortgages,  interest-bearing  notes, 
pawn  shops,  brokers'  offices,  stock  gambling,  lot- 
teries— in  fact  all  speculation  and  gambling,  and 
one  man  overreaching  and  exploiting  his  neigh- 
bor, are  unknown  here." 

"You  have  courts  and  lawyers,  I  presume?" 
said  the  editor. 


HENRY    ASHTON  221 

"Our  courts,"  said  Ashton,  "are  very  simple 
institutions,  and  have  little  to  do.  Since  we 
abandoned  the  competitive  system  of  business 
which  also  abolished  cause  for  fighting  among 
neighbors,  nineteen-twentieths  of  the  civil  litiga- 
tion has  disappeared.  We  have  one  court  for 
each  designated  district,  and  two  judges  to  each 
court  who  preside  alternately.  The  main  features 
of  the  old  trial  by  jury  are  maintained  in  this 
court  which  has  jurisdiction  of  both  civil  and 
criminal  cases.  An  appeal  from  the  decision  of 
this  court  may  be  taken  to  the  General  Assembly 
and  from  the  Assembly  to  the  people  at  the  polls. 
As  in  other  matters  the  verdict  of  the  people, 
which  is  obtained  by  the  Referendum  already  ex- 
plained, is  final." 

"Your  system  so  far  outlined,"  said  the  edi- 
tor, "seems  so  fair  and  so  sensible  that  I  am 
almost  persuaded  that  it  might  be  adopted  in 
all  civilized  countries,  but  until  it  is  so  adopted 
it  occurs  to  me  that  there  is  one  serious  defect." 

"And  what  is  that,'  asked  Mr.  Ashton. 

"Your  time  checks,"  said  the  editor,  "may  be 
and  it  seems  they  are,  sufficiently  good  on  which 
to  conduct  all  the  domestic  business  of  your  State, 
but  they  do  not  pass  current  in  other  countries. 
I  take  it  that  you  do  not  import  any  goods  for 
the  reason  that  you  cannot  purchase  any  thing 
abroad  with  your  Time  Checks  or  Labor  Certifi- 
cates.    Am  I  not  correct,  Mr.  Ashton?" 

"Your  supposition,"  said  Ashton,  "that  our 
Time  Checks  have  little  or  no  value  outside  of 
Zanland  is  correct,  and  yet  we  have  no  difficulty 
in  buying  abroad  any  goods  we  may  desire.  We 
import  but  little,  however,  as  our  island  contains 


222  HENRY   ASHTON 

nearly  everything  in  the  way  of  raw  material  nec- 
essary for  our  happiness,  when  we  apply  our 
labor  to  those  materials,  but  we  do  import  some 
articles.  We  have  in  force  reciprocity  treaties, 
with  other  countries.  As  we  have,  in  Zanland, 
gold  mines  from  which  we  take  large  quantities 
of  the  yellow  ore,  which  with  us  is  a  commodity 
and  not  money,  and  which  is  stored  in  our  depos- 
itories, we  can  and  do,  easily  exchange  the  gold 
at  its  bullion  value  with  foreigners  for  the  goods 
we  wish  to  buy  of  them.  The  foreigner  coins  the 
bullion  into  money,  but  we  do  not.  Our  system 
of  exchange  is  infinitely  superior  to  that  of  the 
foreigner.  Our  money,  being  paper  devoid  in 
itself  of  intrinsic  value,  and  only  representing 
value,  cannot  be  speculated  in.  Metal  money  not 
only  represents  value,  but  in  and  of  itself  con- 
tains a  value  as  a  commodity  which  can  be  used 
for  purposes  other  than  that  of  passing  as  money. 
It  often  fluctuates  because  its  value  depends  on 
supply  and  demand.  The  use  of  metal  money 
has  caused  hundreds  of  widespread  commercial 
panics  in  which  scores  of  thousands  of  honest 
industrious  people  lost  the  fruits  of  their  indus- 
try of  a  lifetime. 

"We  also  export  some  of  our  products,  other 
than  gold  bullion,  which  under  reciprocity,  are 
easily  exchanged  for  those  things  we  want  from 
other  countries.  Individual  citizens  of  Zanland 
who  contemplate  going  abroad  may  also  equip 
themselves  with  the  means  of  purchasing  goods 
in  other  countries,  by  exchanging  their  Time 
Checks,  at  the  depository,  for  gold  bullion  which 
they  carry  with  them  to  other  countries  which 
bullion  is  easily  converted  into  the  currency  of 


HENRY   ASHTON  223 

such  country  or  exchanged  for  the  goods  they 
may  wish  to  buy." 

Here  Mr.  Fay  interrupted  by  asking: 
"I  understand,"  said  he,  "that  all  the  food  and 
clothing  required  by  your  people  are  produced 
collectively.  Now  I  can  readily  see  how  the  cloth- 
ing can  be  distributed  from  the  department  stores 
on  presentation  of  Time  Checks,  but  I  do  not 
clearly  understand  how  the  things  the  people  want 
to  eat  are  distributed.  Do  you,  in  Zanland,  have 
cooking  departments  and  department  eating 
houses  ?" 

"It  is  the  policy  of  our  people,"  replied  Ashton, 
"to  preserve  the  home  and  the  family.  The  Com- 
monwealth provides  each  family  a  house  with 
half  an  acre  of  ground  free  from  taxes  and  rental. 
The  right  of  the  family  to  occupy  the  place  in- 
definitely is  supreme  against  the  claim  of  every 
other  person.  If,  however,  they  vacate  it,  and 
take  up  their  residence  elsewhere,  another  family 
may  move  in  and  hold  it  against  all  others.  Now 
the  family  can  purchase  their  food  with  their 
labor  checks,  and  prepare  their  own  meals  at 
home,  if  they  prefer  to  do  so,  and  their  purchases 
are  delivered  to  them  from  the  department  store. 
This  is  done  as  easily  here  as  your  groceries  are 
delivered  to  you  in  America.  For  the  conven- 
ience, however,  of  those  who  have  no  families, 
and  for  families  who  do  not  desire  to  prepare  their 
own  meals,  the  Commonwealth  conducts  restau- 
rants or  eating  houses  in  all  towns  and  hamlets, 
in  which  a  majority  of  electors  have  legally  ex- 
pressed their  desire  to  have  such  a  house.  Here 
the  meals  are  prepared  by  assistants  of  the  Dis- 
tributive Department,  and  are  paid  for  in  Time 


224  HENRY   ASHTON 

Checks  at  a  price  fixed  by  the  proper  officials.  A 
great  many  women  find  that  these  public  dining 
halls  relieve  them  of  much  anxiety  and  labor,  and 
they  prefer  to  take  their  meals  there  instead  of  at 
home.  As  all  profit  is  eliminated,  the  meals  are 
furnished  at  a  price  that  is  nominal.  In  this  con- 
nection it  will  be  proper,  perhaps,  for  me  to  say 
that  we  maintain  in  every  district  a  nursery  or 
children's  home.  Here  children  under  ten  years 
of  age  are  sent  if  the  parents  are  incapacitated  to 
take  proper  care  of  them.  The  little  ones  are 
well  provided  for,  and  have  kindergarten  instruc- 
tion until  they  are  able  to  enter  the  public  schools. 
We  also  have  an  infant's  temporary  home.  Any 
mother  may  here  leave  her  child  for  an  hour  or 
a  day  while  she  attends  church,  or  a  lecture,  or 
any  amusement." 

"You  speak  of  churches,"  said  Rev.  Fay.  "Do 
you  have  an  established  system  of  religion  sup- 
ported by  the  State  ?" 

"No,"  replied  Ashton,  "in  matters  of  religion 
every  one  is  entirely  free  to  worship  according  to 
the  dictates  of  his  own  conscience.  The  Com- 
monwealth furnishes  public  halls  and  lecture 
rooms  in  abundance  in  every  section  of  the  island, 
and  they  are  at  all  times  open  to  lectures  on 
science,  or  economics,  or  philosophy,  or  theology, 
or  any  subject  of  general  interest,  but  no  sect, 
clan  nor  class  has  exclusive  use  of  these  public 
audience  rooms.  Nearly  every  form  of  religious 
belief  has  adherents  in  our  country,  and  one  has 
as  much  right  as  the  other  to  hold  meetings  in 
these  halls,  but  they  must  observe  definite  rules 
which  provide  against  the  possibility  of  a  con- 
flict as  to  dates  of  occupying  such  public  places. 


HENRY   ASHTON  225 

There  is  a  janitor  in  charge  of  each  place  who 
attends  to  the  matter.  Some  denominations  pre- 
fer to  erect,  at  their  own  expense,  and  by  their 
own  labor,  church  edifices  of  their  own  and  have 
done  so.  They  have  unrestricted  liberty  to  do 
this  if  they  so  desire.  In  such  case  the  State  does 
not  surrender  its  ownership  of  the  ground  occu- 
pied, but  issues  a  permit  for  a  definite  amount  of 
space  to  be  thus  used.  Since  the  launching  of  our 
Co-operative  Commonwealth,  however,  the  foun- 
dation of  which  is  justice  to  all,  and  the  Golden 
Rule,  the  denominational  differences  have  largely 
disappeared,  and  the  great  majority  of  our  people 
attend  those  meetings  at  the  public  halls  where 
the  speaker  puts  the  strongest  emphasis  on  a  life 
of  kindness  and  good  deeds,  rather  than  upon  a 
strict  observance  of  creeds,  or  forms." 

"Did  you,"  asked  Rev.  Fay,  "in  urging  the 
people  of  Zanland  to  adopt  Socialism,  appeal  to 
their  moral  or  religious  sentiments,  or  present  the 
economic  necessity  from  a  materialistic  and  busi- 
ness standpoint,  for.  such  a  movement?" 

"We  did  both,"  replied  Ashton,  "but  we  put  the 
greater  emphasis  upon  the  economic  necessity  for 
the  change.  People  must  eat  and  have  clothing 
to  wear  and  be  sheltered.  To  secure  these  to  all 
according  to  their  deeds  is  a  purely  business  trans- 
action, and  is  devoid  of  mere  sentiment.  Men's 
religious  sentiments  or  convictions  as  to  what  is 
right  and  what  is  wrong  differ  so  widely  that  an 
appeal  for  economic  justice  addressed  only  to 
their  religious  sentiments  brings  confusion  and 
disagreements,  but  people  of  all  sorts  of  religious 
beliefs  and  those  having  no  religious  convictions 
can  be  brought  to  see  that  no  country  can  long 


226  HENRY   ASHTON 

prosper  in  which  the  working  people  are  exploited 
out  of  the  greater  portion  of  what  they  produce, 
and  are  crowded  into  deep  poverty  and  ignorance. 
And  yet  we  did  appeal  also  to  those  whose  con- 
sciences had  been  awakened  to  see  the  injustice 
and  moral  wrong  of  the  competitive  system  which 
is  based  on  the  theory  and  practice  of  'every  one 
looking  out  for  himself  regardless  of  the  injury 
he  may  do  to  others."  We  did  try  to  arouse  the 
people's  innate  sense  of  justice.  To  some,  Social- 
ism is  a  religion,  because  it  is  founded  on  fair  play 
and  the  Golden  Rule  and  places  a  high  estimate 
on  mankind.  To  others  it  is  an  honest,  sensible, 
economic,  methodical  and  scientific  system  for 
carrying  on  the  intricate  business  of  a  great  Na- 
tion." 

"May  I  enquire,"  said  the  editor,  "how  can  the 
State  erect  so  many  free  lecture  rooms  and  places 
of  amusement  and  other  public  improvements 
and  provide  for  the  support  of  men  and  women 
who  have  attained  to  the  age  of  fifty  years  and 
furnish  free  instruction  to  all  the  youths,  etc., 
while  nobody  labors  except  those  between  the 
ages  of  twenty-one  and  fifty,  and  they  working 
but  four  to  six  hours  per  day.  How  can  all  these 
desirable  things  be  enjoyed  without  bankrupting 
the  State?" 

"No  nation  working  under  the  competitive  eco- 
nomic system  could  do  what  we  are  doing  with- 
out speedily  becoming  bankrupt,"  said  Ashton. 
"The  secret  of  our  success  is  in  preventing  waste 
and  maintaining  a  proper  system  of  distribution 
of  the  products  of  labor.  The  old  governments 
expend  untold  millions  in  building  great  war 
ships,  in  manufacturing  guns  and  other  war  mate- 


HENRY   ASHTON  227 

rials,  and  in  supporting  armies.  Some  battle 
ships  cost  $5,000,000  to  $6,000,000  each.  All 
these  things  are  intended  for  destroying  property 
and  killing  people.  They  produce  nothing.  They 
waste  billions  of  wealth  produced  by  labor.  A 
little  calculation  of  the  cost  of  supporting  the 
armies  and  navies  and  of  the  vast  wealth  invested 
in  war  implements  will  disclose  the  fact  that  in 
this  way  alone  enough  is  wasted,  which  if  saved, 
would  inaugurate  in  Europe  or  America  all  the 
good  things  we  have  in  Zanland,  and  reduce  the 
hours  of  working  people  as  we  have  reduced 
them  here.  But  we  save  in  scores  of  other  ways, 
where  there  is  senseless,  wicked,  profligate  waste 
in  the  old  countries.  In  those  countries  where 
business  is  conducted  under  competition  every 
merchant  and  other  business  man  is  competing 
with  every  other  one.  In  every  city  and  town 
there  are  one  hundred  or  one  thousand  small  deal- 
ers where  one  central  department  store  and  two 
or  three  branches  could  easily  transact  the  busi- 
ness that  they  all  are  doing.  Millions  of  dollars 
are  annually  wasted  in  rentals  by  these  small  es- 
tablishments. There  is  waste  in  clerk  hire,  in  fuel, 
lighting  and  in  numerous  other  ways.  Each  must 
advertise  his  business  or  fail,  and  uncounted  mil- 
lions of  dollars  are  wasted  in  advertising.  The 
Publisher's  Guide  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  U.  S.  A., 
says  that  John  Wanamaker,  merchant,  of  that 
city,  expends  $1,000  per  day  in  advertising  his 
goods.  It  would  be  no  exaggeration  to  say  that 
each  year  several  hundred  millions  of  dollars  are 
wasted  in  the  United  States  in  advertising  alone. 
Other  hundreds  of  millions  are  wasted  in  fenc- 
ing, in  erecting     banking  buildings     and  court 


228  HENRY   ASHTON 

houses,  and  in  thousands  of  other  ways.  Manu- 
facturing is  conducted  in  a  haphazard  way ;  rail- 
roads are  constructed  where  not  needed;  many 
ships  are  built  where  a  few  only  are  required, 
and  the  whole  competitive  system  of  business  is 
conducted  without  order  or  system,  resulting  in 
disastrous  periodical  financial  panics  rending 
the  country  with  lock-outs  and  strikes,  often  re- 
ducing vast  numbers  of  working  men  to  a  condi- 
tion bordering  on  starvation  and  breeding  violence 
and  anarchy  because  of  the  selfishness,  reckless- 
ness and  greed,  which  are  its  legitimate  offspring. 
All  these  hundreds  of  billions  wasted  in  the  old 
countries  are  saved  in  the  Collective  Common- 
wealth, and  are  turned  into  schools,  in  supporting 
the  aged  in  comfort,  in  establishing  libraries  and 
lecture  halls,  in  shortening  the  hours  of  labor 
of  the  working  people  and  in  making  the  people 
intelligent  and  happy.  It  is  astounding  to  some 
of  us  that  more  of  the  thinkers  of  the  world  have 
not  long  ago  discovered  these  startling  defects  in 
the  competitive  system  of  economics,  and  aroused 
the  people  of  the  world  to  a  realization  of  the 
true  condition  of  things.  Benjamin  Franklin,  a 
hundred  years  ago,  said :  'If  every  man  did  his 
share  of  the  labor  of  the  world,  four  hours'  work 
daily,  would  be  all  that  need  be  required  of  any 
one.'  He  spoke  truly  but  should  have  added  that 
society  should  see  to  it  that  no  man  should  be  rob- 
bed of  the  fruits  of  his  four  hours  of  daily  labor." 

"It  is  contended  by  some,"  said  Mr.  Fay,  "that 
Socialism  would  destroy  the  incentive  of  men. 
What  have  you  to  say  in  answer  to  that  claim  ?" 

"Yes,"  replied  Ashton,  "it  would  destroy  the  in- 
centive of  some  men — of  the  greedy  monopolist 


HENRY   ASHTON  229 

who  wants  to  get  something  for  nothing.  Our 
co-operative  system  curbs  the  incentive  of  that 
class  of  people  who  add  nothing  to  the  wealth,  or 
the  wisdom,  or  the  happiness  of  humanity — those 
whose  chief  incentive  is  to  amass  great  riches, 
by  hook  or  by  crook,  without  returning  any  equiv- 
alent to  those  who  created  that  wealth ;  but  our 
system  greatly  stimulates  the  incentive  of  the  in- 
ventor, the  artist,  the  surgeon,  the  teacher,  the 
musician,  the  statesman,  the  industrious  citizen 
— the  lover  of  his  kind.  It  appeals  to  a  man's 
higher  sentiments.  The  competitive  appeals  to 
his  baser.  Medals,  and  titles,  and  distinction,  and 
honor  are  bestowed  on  such  as  distinguish  them- 
selves in  any  honorable  calling,  and  these  are  far 
more  potent  and  effective  stimulants  to  man's 
incentive  than  the  mere  getting  of  money  by  ex- 
ploiting others  out  of  it  to  whom  it  honestly  be- 
longs. Our  experience  is  that  it  is  far  better  for 
the  many  that  the  incentive  to  get  something  for 
nothing  by  the  few,  be  restricted  and  even  better 
for  the  greedy  exploiters  themselves.  I  would 
not  be  understood  as  saying  that  the  rich  monop- 
olists are  all  personally  bad  men.  Not  at  all ; 
many  of  them  are  kindhearted  and  charitably  in- 
clined. Many  of  them  give  largely  to  the  poor, 
and  to  churches,  and  public  libraries.  But  it  is 
justice  not  charity  that  the  masses  want.  These 
multi-millionaires  are  blinded  by  a  robber  sys- 
tem of  economics,  hoary  with  age.  They  are  not, 
as  a  class,  philosophers.  They,  having  succeeded 
in  amassing  wealth,  think  that  prevailing  business 
methods  are  good  ones.  Like  the  slaveholders  of 
the  Southern  States  before  the  war  of  1861-65, 
they  want  to  be  let  alone.      When  they  become 


230  HENRY   ASHTON 

fully  awakened,  they  will  clearly  perceive  the 
great  but  unintentional  wrong  they  have  done 
their  fellowman,  and  they  will  rejoice  at  their 
emancipation.  These  great  'Captains  of  Indus- 
try' under  the  competitive  system,  will  become 
most  efficient  cabinet  officers  and  managers  in 
the  Collective  Commonwealth." 

"What  effect  has  your  Socialist  government 
had  on  the  ignorant  and  the  lawless  classes,"  ask- 
ed the  editor. 

"Ah,  now,"  replied  Ashton,  "you  have  pro- 
pounded an  important  question  and  it  gives  me 
great  pleasure  to  answer  it. 

"Our  theory  is  that  men  and  women  are  not 
naturally  bad — that  they  are  not  prone  to  do 
evil  as  the  sparks  are  to  fly  upward,  as  the  old 
theology  taught,  but  are  more  inclined  to  good 
than  to  evil.  Our  lives  are  largely  what  they  are 
from  heredity  and  environment — especially  the 
latter.  It  is  creditable  to  the  masses  that  there 
is  so  little  crime  among  them  in  competitive  coun- 
tries. They  create  all  wealth  and  receive  only 
about  a  sixth  of  it.  Millions  of  farmers  work 
hard  for  a  lifetime  for  little  more  than  board  and 
clothing;  other  millions  of  mechanics  and  work- 
men in  the  cities  own  no  homes,  and  can  barely 
live  and  pay  their  rent ;  other  millions  live  in 
shacks  and  the  basements  and  attics  and  slums  in 
enforced  squalor  and  ignorance  and  beget  chil- 
dren who  must  beg,  or  steal,  or  starve ;  other  mil- 
lions work  in  dark,  and  damp,  and  ill  ventilated 
sweat  shops  for  a  pittance ;  millions  of  girls  are 
forced  into  lives  of  dishonor  for  bread.  All  this 
is  the  direct  fruit  of  the  competitive  system  of 
business.     It  is  the  mother  of  drunkenness,  ignor- 


HENRY   ASHTON  231 

ance,  prostitution,  theft,  suicide  and  murder. 
Competition  knows  no  pity.  Its  motto  is,  and 
always  was,  and  always  will  be :  'Every  one  for 
himself.'  It  appeals  only  to  the  mean  and  greedy 
in  man.  It  enables  its  votaries  to  succeed  only 
by  the  undoing  and  sacrifice  of  one,  or  one  hun- 
dred, or  one  thousand  others.  Nations  practic- 
ing it,  go  to  war  with  other  Nations  and  burn, 
and  destroy,  and  ravish,  and  rob,  and  kill,  and 
deluge  the  world  with  blood.  An  individual  prac- 
ticing it,  builds  up  himself  by  pulling  down  his 
competitor.  Competition  in  all  the  old  countries, 
crowds  the  poor  houses  and  asylums  with  its  vic- 
tims, fills  the  courts  with  neighbor  warring 
against  neighbor,  burdens  the  columns  of  the 
newspapers  daily  with  accounts  of  burglary,  de- 
falcations, embezzlement,  robbery,  and  suicide. 
It  erects  the  gallows  and  incarcerates  its  hundreds 
of  thousands  in  the  jails  and  penitentiaries. 

"Competition  is  war,  and  Gen.  Sherman  said, 
'War  is  hell.'  But  you  ask  me  what  are  the 
fruits  of  our  Socialist  government  in  Zanland. 
The  motto  of  Socialism  is  :  'Justice  to  all ;  an  in- 
jury to  one  is  the  concern  of  all.'  What  fruits 
would  you  expect  from  a  State  resting  upon  such 
a  foundation  and  carrying  out  that  principle. 
Democracy,  or  a  government  by  the  people  is 
the  chief  cornerstone  of  our  State.  Then  our 
first  duty  is  to  the  children.  The  Commonwealth 
feeds,  clothes  and  educates  every  child,  and  fully 
equips  him  for  the  race  of  life.  It  guarantees  to 
every  boy  and  girl  equal  opportunities  with  every 
other  one ;  it  furnishes  employment  to  all  able- 
bodied  adults,  and  guarantees  that  he  shall  receive 
the  full  benefit  of  his  labor;  it  provides  for  the 


232  HENRY   ASHTON 

aged  and  renders  their  life  free  from  toil  and 
want.  It  recognizes  the  political  equality  of  men 
and  women  alike ;  it  abolishes  kings  and  political 
bosses ;  it  prevents  the  greedy  man  from  robbing 
his  neighbor  of  any  of  the  fruits  of  his  labor;  it 
removes  every  temptation  to  commit  crime;  it 
fosters  temperance  and  industry;  it  builds  insti- 
tutions of  learning ;  it  establishes  free  libraries ; 
it  guarantees  religious  liberty ;  it  encourages  all 
to  make  their  chief  incentive  a  desire  to  store  their 
minds  with  useful  knowledge  and  to  bless  their 
fellowmen  instead  of  robbing  them.  It  holds 
up  to  young  and  old  the  high  ideals  of  justice, 
brotherhood,  good  citizenship,  and  peace  on 
earth,  good  will  to  men,  and  lastly,  but  more  im- 
portant than  all,  it  honors  wifehood  and  mother- 
hood, and  by  its  maternity  hospitals  guarantees 
to  future  generations  that  they  shall  be  well  born. 

"It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  repeat,  gentle- 
men, that  in  Zanland  where  the  Collective  Com- 
monwealth is  now  firmly  established,  that  we  have 
but  little  inebriety,  no  robbery,  no  embezzlements, 
no  swindling,  no  stock  or  other  gambling,  and 
very  little  vice  or  crime  of  any  kind.  All  motive 
for  committing  crime  has  been  eliminated  by  our 
economic  system.  We  have  no  labor  strikes,  no 
lock-outs,  no  blacklistings,  no  unemployed,  no 
tramps ;  but  little  use  for  police,  and  less  for  sol- 
diers ;  our  jails  are  nearly  all  empty  and  our 
schools  are  full.  Our  ministers  are,  for  the  first 
time  in  many  centuries,  preaching  the  true  gos- 
pel of  Jesus  Christ. 

"To  briefly  sum  up  the  many  good  features  of 
Socialism,  as  in  practice  in  Zanland,  I  remark, 
our  day's  labor  is  shorter  than  in  other  coun- 


HENRY    ASHTON  233 

tries  because  we  save  millions  where  others  waste ; 
we  co-operate  for  the  good  of  all  while  they  per- 
mit greedy,  non-producing  schemers  to  amass 
colossal  riches  by  exploitation,  while  the  wealth- 
creators  struggle  and  perish ;  we  produce  for  the 
use  of  all  and  distribute  those  productions  to  all 
according  to  their  service,  while  in  other  coun- 
tries the  many  produce  and  the  few  appropriate 
the  production.  Here  every  man  reaps  as  he 
sows  and  all  are  sowers.  In  other  countries  the 
sowers  reap  little  while  those  who  do  not  sow, 
harvest  much.  Here  none  are  masters,  none  are 
slaves ;  elsewhere  the  few  who  produce  noth- 
ing are  masters  and  the  workers  are  slaves,  for 
if  the  few  own  the  machinery  and  other  means  of 
production  and  hire  the  many  to  serve,  the  em- 
ployer is  a  master  and  his  employe  is  a  slave.  He 
who  owns  the  things  necessary  to  sustain  the  life 
of  his  fellowman  owns  that  man  as  truly  as  did 
master  ever  own  slave.  The  propertyless  man 
can  live  only  by  selling  his  labor ;  that  he  cannot 
do  without  a  buyer;  the  employer  can  therefore 
dictate  to  the  worker  the  terms  upon  which  he 
will  permit  him  to  live.  Did  master  ever  have 
greater  power  over  slave? 

"On  this  very  day  that  we  talk,"  continued 
Ashton,  "there  comes  information  of  great  labor 
strikes  in  America  and  some  portions  of  Europe. 
The  wage  worker  in  the  coal  mines,  deep  down 
in  the  earth  is  struggling  for  an  increase  of  a 
few  cents  in  his  wages  that  he  may  live  and  sup- 
port his  wife  and  children  in  a  little  better  con- 
dition than  does  the  ignorant  savage  who  lives  in 
a  cave,  but  the  same  cablegram  that  informs  us 
of  the  struggles  of  these  exploited  slaves  also 


234  HENRY    ASHTON 

bring  the  information  that  the  coal  barons  and 
trust  magnates,  have  called  out  the  police  and 
soldiery  and  the  slaves  are  being  clubbed  and  shot 
into  subjection.  But  this  state  of  things,  gentle- 
men, cannot  long  continue  even  in  those  countries. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  twentieth  century  the 
despoiled  ones  are  awakening  from  their  long 
stupor,  and  are  enquiring  by  whit  right  do  a 
few  men  who  add  nothing  to  the  wealth  or  wis- 
dom of  the  world  monopolize  the  coal,  and  the 
oil,  and  the  metals,  which  nature  stored  up  for  the 
use  of  all  the  people  ?  Who  gave  them  individual 
ownership  of  electricity  and  water  power,  and  the 
power  of  steam,  and  of  lands,  and  machinery,  and 
all  the  means  of  producing  the  things  which  peo- 
ple must  have  to  live  and  to  properly  discharge 
their  duty  to  God  and  their  wives  and  little  ones. 
By  what  authority  do  they  enslave  us,  and  starve 
us,  and  scourge  us,  and  shoot  us,  we  who  do  the 
work  of  the  world  and  they  do  nothing  except  to 
riot  in  luxury  from  the  possession  of  the  vast 
wealth  they  have  taken  from  us  ? 

"The  answer,  gentlemen,  to  that  question,  that 
they  have  no  such  right,  will  ere  long  reverberate 
around  the  globe,  and  woe  be  to  him  who  flings 
himself  athwart  the  path  of  the  coming  millions 
of  downtrodden,  despoiled,  outraged  and  robbed 
toilers  who,  now  awakened  to  a  realization  that 
they  have  both  a  natural  and  a  moral  right  to  the 
benefit  of  their  own  industry,  are  marching  on  to 
victory  and  to  the  establishment  of  a  Co-opera- 
tive Commonwealth  which  will  last  forever,  be- 
cause founded  on  the  eternal  principles  of  justice, 
the  chief  cornerstone  of  which  shall  be:  'As  ye 


HENRY   ASHTON  235 

would  that  others  should  do  unto  you,  do  ye  even 
so  unto  them.'  " 

The  interview  being  ended,  the  visitors,  after 
thanking  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ashton,  and  Mr.  Batty, 
for  their  kindness,  and  bidding  them  farewell 
withdrew.  They  soon  after  left  for  their  home 
in  the  United  States.  On  the  staunch  ship  that 
brought  them  home  they  had  many  conversations 
in  which  they  talked  over  all  that  they  had  seen 
and  heard.  They  had  both  been  soundly  con- 
verted to  Socialism,  and  each  pledged  the  other 
that  they  would  devote  the  remaining  days  of  their 
life  in  advocating  the  adoption  in  America  of  an 
economic  and  political  system  like  unto  that  of 
Zanland. 


"The  Miner's  Magazine,"  Denver,  says:  "The  story- 
told  in  'Henry  Ashton'  fascinates  from  start  to 
finish.  Ex-Senator  Dague  has  written  many 
pamphlets  and  articles,  but  Henry  Ashton  out- 
classes them  all  and  is  destined  to  win  fame  for 
its  author.  Its  235  pages  are  worth  their  weight 
in  gold  to  every  worker  and  honest  thinker  who 
is  groping  for  a  solution  of  the  labor  problem." 

Rev.  Father  Thos.  Mc  Grady  says:  "'Henry  Ashton' 
is  a  graphic  portrayal  of  pathos  and  passion,  of 
cunning  and  honesty,  and  this  beautiful  romance 
contains  a  concise  and  explicit  exposition  of 
Socialist  teachings.  Fiction  is  a  mighty  medium 
for  the  dissemination  of  truth  and  you  have 
used  it  with  powerful  effect." 

"The  Denver  Alliance,"  says:  "The  author  of 
'Henry  Ashton'  is  a  prominent  attorney,  and  an 
ex-senator,  and  is  widely  acquainted  with  life 
in  its  different  phases.  He  has  succeeded  in 
writing  a  thrilling  story  with  the  usual  love  af- 
fair to  hold  the  atention  of  the  reader,  but  he 
has  left  out  the  usual  gush,  and  in  its  stead  has 
interwoven  Socialism  in  a  very  attractive  man- 
ner. A  stronger  argument  for  it  is  seldom 
read." 

"The  Terra  Haute  Toiler,"  says:  The  greatest  need 
of  the  hour  is  a  Socialist  novel,  artistic,  realistic, 
profoundly  absorbing,  and  accurate  in  present- 
ing the  science  of  the  order  of  society.  No  at- 
tempt to  write  such  a  book  has  been  more  suc- 
cessful than  the  story  of  'Henry  Ashton.'  All 
Socialists  will  be  benefited  by  reading  this  book. 
It  will  do  an  excellent  work." 

Mary  Elizabeth  Lease,  writes:  '"Henry  Ashton'  is 
the  clearest  and  most  fascinating  presentation 
of  a  difficult  and  complicated  subject  that  I 
have  ever  read.  I  only  wish  a  copy  of  this  work 
could  be  placed  in  every  home  in  the  land. 

"The  Literary  West,"  says:  "The  author  of  'Henry 
Ashton'  sets  forth  the  ideals  of  Socialism  in  a 
masterly  manner.  His  arguments  are  unusually 
convincing. 

"The  Social  Democratic  Herald,"  says:  '"Henry 
Ashton'  has  that  charm  that  clings  round  tales 
that  are  simply  told.  There  is  no  striving  after 
effect;   no   vainglorious    display   of   the   author's 


ability.      The    book    is    essentially    an    entering 
wedge." 

"Mother"  Mary  Jones,  says:  "'Henry  Ashton'  is  a 
most  charming  book.  It  shows  the  villainy  of 
our  present  system  of  commercialism  and  pre- 
sents us  with  a  beautiful  picture  of  the  future 
civilization  which  all  noble  men  and  good  wo- 
men should  help  to  usher  in." 

Emma  E.  Hunt  writes:  "May  'Henry  Ashton'  be 
circulated  by  the  million.  It  is  THE  book  of 
the  century." 

Rev.  J.  Stitt  Wilson,  says:  "'Henry  Ashton'  does 
two  things:  It  teaches  Socialism,  clean,  clear, 
strong,  vividly,  and  at  the  same  time  it  is  done 
so  well  as  not  to  make  the  reader  feel  that  he 
has  read  a  'story  with  a  purpose.'  It  should  be 
read  by  the  tens  of  thousands,  and  it  will  make 
Socialists  wherever  it  is  read." 

"The  Appeal  to  Reason,"  says:  '"Henry  Ashton'  is 
the  title  of  a  thrilling  story  by  R.  A.  Dague  that 
tells  how  the  co-operative  commonwealth  was 
established  in  Zanland.  This  is  really  a  highly 
interesting  work  of  fact  and  fiction,  and  it  is 
woven  in  a  careful  and  complete  argument  for 
the  co-operative  commonwealth.  We  hope  that 
the  book  may  meet  with  great  success." 

"The  Pan-Handle  News,"  says:  '"Henry  Ashton'  is 
a  well  written  and  thrilling  story,  a  well  laid  and 
executive  plot,  and  should  be  dramatized.  It 
should  be  read  by  every  voter  regardless  of 
political  alliance  who  wishes  to  be  well  informed 
upon  the  burning  issues  of  the  times." 

N.  O.  Nelson,  St.  Louis,  says:  "You  have  brought 
into  'Henry  Ashton'  the  entire  argument  of  So- 
cialism and  shown  the  steps  necessary  to  in- 
augurate it.  You  keep  free  from  dogmatism, 
rant,  and  denunciation.  The  story  is  well  told; 
it  is  a  needed  and  valuable  work." 

Mayor  Eugene  E.  Schmitz,  San  Francisco,  says: 
'"Henry  Ashton'  is  interesting  in  the  extreme. 
All  who  are  interested  in  the  great  struggle  of 
labor  for  better  conditions  should  have  this 
book." 


G.  H.  Strobell,  says:  "I  know  of  no  superior  pre- 
sentation of  the  real  Socialist  position.  I  hope 
'Henry  Ashton'  may  be  circulated  by  the 
million." 

S.  A.  Moulton,  says:  "I  predict  for  'Henry  Ashton' 
an  immense  circulation.  The  story  is  simply 
fascinating — charming.  It  is  a  soul-saver.  Mill- 
ions perishing  for  the  want  of  economic  light 
will  be  saved  by  this  book." 

"The  Independent  American,"  says:   "'Henry   Ash- 
ton' is  a  thrilling  story  of  love  and  adventure,  but 
its    chief    value    consists    in    its    economic    argu- 
ments.   The  book  is  a  charming  one  throughout." 

"The  Socialist  Reason"  says:  "'Henry  Ashton'  is 
just  the  book  to  give  to  your  neighbor.  It  is 
fascinating." 

Eugene  V.  Debs,  says:  "From  the  hasty  examina- 
tion I  have  been  able  to  make  of  'Henry  Ash- 
ton,' I  am  satisfied  you  have  produced  not  only 
a  very  interesting  book,  but  one  that  will  serve 
an  excellent  purpose  in  the  propaganda  of  the 
Socialist  movement." 

F.  J.  Burke,  says:  "I  predict  great  success  for  'Henry 
Ashton.'  I  believe  it  will  have  a  larger  sale  than 
Merrie  England  or  Looking  Backward." 

"The  Boston  Press  Writer,"  says:  "We  have  been 
looking  for  just  such  a  book  as  'Henry  Ashton' 
for  a  long  time.  All  it  needs  to  gain  a  million 
circulation  is  for  the  public  to  get  in  touch  with 
it." 

B.  O.  Flower  in  the  "Boston  Arena,"  says:  "The 
author  of  'Henry  Ashton'  is  an  able  and  progres- 
sive social  reformer,  and  a  clear  reasoner,  and 
his  book  is  well  considered  and  calculated  to  ap- 
peal to  the  reason  and  conscience  of  men  and 
women  of  conviction." 

"The  Philistine,"  says:  "'Henry  Ashton'  has  the 
strength  and  style  that  cannot  fail  to  let  in  a 
flood  of  light  on  many  darkened  minds." 

"The  Pink  Icononoclast,"  says:  "'Henry  Ashton' 
should  be  in  the  hands  of  every  comrade  to  loan 
to  his  neighbor.     It  will  open  the   eyes  of  the 


ignorant.      It  is   worth   double   the   price   asked 
for  it." 

"The  California  Cultivator,"  says:  "Senator  Dague, 
one  of  the  best  known  writers  on  the  Pacific 
Coast,  has  issued  a  new  book — 'Henry  Ashton.' 
It  is  eloquently  written  and  thrillingly  interest- 
ing." 

"The  Pathfinder,"  says:  '"Henry  Ashton,'  should  be 
in  the  posession  of  every  person  in  America  who 
can  read." 

Jack  London,  says:  "'Henry  Ashton'  has  given  me 
great  pleasure.  Your  replies  to  the  popular  ob- 
jections to  Socialism  are  most  excellent.  The 
book  will  be  a  most  useful  one." 

Charles  Edwin  Markham,  says:  "'Henry  Ashton' 
contains  an  immense  amount  of  useful  informa- 
tion and  deduction.  It  is  a  book  of  ideas — is 
suggestive    and    instructive." 

Rev.  Benjamin  Fay  Mills,  says:  "I  thank  you  for 
writing  'Henry  Ashton.'  I  am  most  heartily 
in  sympathy  with  your  doctrine  and  find  it  pre- 
sented in  a  very  appetizing  and  palatable  form." 


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